


Psychopomp and Circumstance

by DrNeverland



Series: You Never Hear the One That Gets You [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Lovers To Enemies, Memories, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrNeverland/pseuds/DrNeverland
Summary: Porter Gage ends up imprisoned at the Castle, reflecting on the path that got him there, and the Overboss - Valkyrie - who sold him out.





	1. A Bolt From the Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This story will move between Gage's memories of running with Valkyrie, and the present state he's in.

_Sunlight streamed through the cracked-glass walls of Fizztop Grille, highlighting the figure beside him in an unbroken line of gold. He reached out and placed his fingers on her shoulder, slow and light as to not wake the woman beside him. He traced the tips down her arm and onto her hip, over the curves of muscle and into the crags of scars he had watched her earn out there in the Park. While she continued to sleep, too damn deeply, he pushed closer, aligning his body against hers, all skin and scars and sweat…_

Porter Gage woke with a start, the door to his cell swinging open with a loud crash of metal. However, he had barely moved from the cot the Minutemen _graciously_ provided him, his heart hammered in his chest. The dream he had been having was a memory, a good memory, before everything went to shit.

Before his… before _the_ Overboss turned on the Raiders.

Sitting up, Gage rubbed at the stubble on his face and eyed the Minuteman who brought him breakfast. Out of all the things he had not expected, being treated to three squares a day and a private cell was the last. He expected to be rotting in the river with Colter, or just left out in the sun the day she turned on them.

No, _turning_ on them was **not** what happened. As he ate, not bothering to thank the young shit who brought him his food, he could not help replaying the day in his head. Memories were all he had left now that he was trapped in the Castle, a memorial to shit no one was alive to remember anyway.

It had not happened quickly, not by a long shot. First, she seemed into his plans – surprising Gage, for what he had heard of her.

“Hero of the Commonwealth, General of the Minutemen.” Slayed the Boogeyman of the Wastes – blew up The Institute – and from what Shank had gathered about her, she had pull in other places too. Paladin of the Brotherhood, close friends with Mayor Hancock. A rumor of her even brokering peace in a place in far-off Maine… hell, Gage wasn’t even sure where that was!

Valkyrie. That was the name _she_ went by. When he first heard it, Gage recalled Connor, that dumbass who sold him out, with his fucking stupid “Badass Raider Name.” Shank had picked up her name among the other titles the Commonwealth sheep wanted to give her. The Vault Dweller – nice and vague, meaningless, if you didn’t know what she was doing out there. “Sole Survivor” was another one – still vague, a little more threatening. Diamond City called her a hero when she outed their Mayor as a Synth replacement.

Whatever names she had, Gage had some for her, once. Boss… _favorite_ Overboss, if he wanted to be cheeky. When he first called her ‘baby,’ it was almost a slip, a word too far. She had stopped, and just grinned at him. After he called her ‘darlin’,” whispering it in the dark, he should have realized then that he was in too goddamned deep.

She worked him over from day one… and now he was a prisoner at the Castle. Throwing his empty tray at the door for the Minutemen saps to retrieve later, Gage parked his ass back on the cot and sat there, good eye closed. His daily memory replay started up again, all he had to pass the time.

*****

“Is that a Vault suit? Are you kidding me, Vic? Must’ve ripped it offa corpse or somethin’!” Redeye taunted over the microphone. “Well, let’s see how much good it does her, folks!”

_“Red, come in,”_ Gage’s voice crackled over the CB radio connected to Redeye’s station. _“You say a Vault suit? You see a number?”_

“Nah, can’t see shit other than that ugly-ass blue. She’s got leather armor on over it,” Redeye drawled into his end of the comm. “Is that important?”

_“Not yet… just keep an eye on her, see if she even makes it through. Or her partner.”_

“You got it!” Redeye clicked off his end and returned to taunting the woman in the Gauntlet. “Who’s being tortured here?! We’re gonna die of boredom here! Pick up the pace, Vic!”

 

Gage opened the door to the Grille and cast around for Colter. For a half-second, he thought the man might have finally done them all a favor and jumped out of the window when he spotted the boss still passed out in his bed.

_Goddamn it, you lazy prick._ Gage stormed over to Colter’s bed and swatted him in the foot. Colter groaned and rolled out of Gage’s reach, and it took all of what little patience Gage had left to not pick up the bedside lamp and do him in right then and there. If he wanted this asshole dead, his only hope for it had to survive the Gauntlet, and Colter had to stop wearing his patience.

“Boss, we got fresh blood comin’ through the Gauntlet. They’re getting pretty far, if you believe the shit Redeye’s spittin’ out.”

Colter huffed and sat up, spitting on the floor as he got out of bed. “Fuckin’ hell, been a while since we’ve seen raw meat get this far, innit? Tune me in,” Colter said, gesturing in the direction of the radio. Gage nodded and tuned into Raider Radio, just in time to hear Redeye’s latest report.

_“-seems like our Vic’s in a jam now, folks! Let’s see how long she lasts with all that gas! Ahahaha, you thought a little valve turn was gonna make a difference? Try again!”_

“She’s gotten pretty far,” Gage commented.

Colter snorted as he pulled on his jeans. “Little girl’s giving the gauntlet a challenge, eh?”

Gage lit a cigarette and took a drag, flicking ash into a tray. “She don’t know she’s in over her head, does she, Boss?”

“She ain’t got a clue, Gage. Get my armor ready.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

The comm in the “green room” outside the arena was where he first heard her voice. She didn’t sound scared. She sounded, well, annoyed, not that Gage blamed her.

“Are you fucking kidding me? A water pistol?!”

“Nope. It’s the perfect weapon…” He explained Colter’s power armor, and how the exposed circuits were the weak point. After their conversation, Gage heard an electrical ‘pop’ and saw a few lights flicker out across the arena. He checked the terminal by the arena door, and sure enough, part of the grid was offline on her side.

“Power in the arena’s down by thirty percent… was that you?”

“Yep. I love these little fusion core things,” she replied, working the comm like she used it every day. The earlier annoyance was gone. She sounded pretty proud of herself – despite being lured into a deathtrap.

“Huh. Smart.” Gage actually felt eager for this match – he might have found the person he’d been looking for…

 

Once the match was over, he got his first look at this Valkyrie and her partner. Sure enough, the tell-tale blue of the Vault suit peeked out of her leathers as she leaned over Colter’s body, scavenging parts from his fried power armor.

Shank approached him, gesturing Gage over with an inclination of his head.

“Think I know who that is. Word’s gotten around about her… you heard of the Minutemen making their comeback in the Commonwealth, right? Lead by a single woman, hell-bent on-“

“On vengeance against the Institute. Shiiiiiiit.” Gage rubbed a hand over his face. She was formidable, sure, but probably going to be a pain in his ass. No wonder she had come to Harvey’s aid.

“Fuckin’ bleeding heart. The gangs are gonna have my head for this,” Gage hissed.

Shank glanced into the arena, Valkyrie and the other girl loaded up with parts, and actually laughing about something.

“She might be what we need. Talk to her, tell her we need help, too,” Shank suggested, taking a step back. “You work this right, she’ll be better than Colter. She might get shit _done_. Talk to me, after you’ve been introduced,” he said, turning on his heel and heading back to the marketplace.

Gage took a deep breath and lit another cigarette. Anything to occupy his hands and avoid looking nervous. Shank was right – the proper words and a sob story, well…

The path to hell was paved with good intentions, wasn’t it?

“Um, hey.” Her voice interrupted his thoughts. “I’m Valkyrie. This here’s Cait.” She gestured to the redhead beside her, both women still sweaty and covered with blood from blowing Colter’s head off.

“Pleased to meet you, darlin’. What’s a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?” asked Cait, shouldering her share of the loot. “And why do I always gotta carry yer junk?”

Gage stared at the redhead, trying to place her when he put his hands up, stopping their banter. “Look, ladies, I’m sure you wanna …freshen up, and ask a lotta questions. Anythin’ you wanna hock, the Marketplace-“ he paused and thumbed over his shoulder toward the door, “is the, uh… place. But, we should take this conversation to someplace more private.”

Valkyrie grinned and elbowed Cait. “Private, huh?”

Gage took a steadying breath and closed his eye. “Yeah, private. Top of Fizztop Mountain, the Grille. Just… follow me.”

 

Back at Fizztop, Valkyrie seemed to make herself at home, dumping her gear and pulling her militia hat off. That was where he first saw the tail of blue hair that she had tucked away. His first thought was that the Pack might take a shine to her, if she was the “stand out from the crowd type.”

Valkyrie flopped on one of the couches while Cait hopped over the bar and started digging through Colter’s booze.

“How many fuckin’ Nuka Colas did this fucker go through?” Cait shouted, over a clatter of empty bottles.

Valkyrie snorted from her claimed couch. She had untied her hair and stretched out, dropping the hat over her face. She looked ready to take a nap.

“We’re only in a place called _Nuka World,_ Cait… I’m sure he had one or two,” Valkyrie chuckled, from under her hat.

Gage felt his blood pressure rising.

“Look, ladies, I’m sure you wanna rest and all that, but I thought we were gonna talk.” Gage pulled over an armchair and sat near to Valkyrie. She rolled onto her side and let her hat hit the ground. He got a better look at her – several scars littered her skin, some old enough that they faded into her pale face, but a new set on the left side looked like she had a run-in with a Yao-Guai or particularly gnarly ghoul, leaving three lines over her eye.

“I can listen from here. I’m just resting.”

“If you fall asleep, I will shoot you,” Gage promised.

The cock of a shotgun from the bar had Gage looking up.

Cait smiled at him from over the sights. “Poor choice of words, darlin’. Now, start talkin’ or we’re outta here.”

Valkyrie sat up, holding out her hand. “Easy, Cait. I was being rude. Are there any Quantums back there?”

“Aye.”

“Grab me one. That’ll wake me up.”

Cait came from behind the bar with a warm beer and a Nuka Cola Quantum for Valkyrie. Once they were both settled, Gage took a deep breath and began his story.

“Look, the last Overboss, the one you just laid out in the arena, he used to do that to me… fall asleep while I was talkin’, and always when it was somethin’ important. So, I appreciate you _not_ doing that.” Gage paused, watching their faces. Cait seemed disinterested, but Valkyrie, her brow furrowed, and he saw it in a blink – sympathy. Shank had been right. Lure her with a little bit of pity and she was on the hook.

“I’m just gonna start from the top, then. This place… it’s a powder keg…” he began, launching into his story about the gangs, how Colter had become lazy and content with the little bit of land they managed to carve out, even to the detriment of the other gangs.

Valkyrie listened intently, giving him her whole focus. It should have unnerved him, but she didn’t interrupt, only made comments when he left her room to say something. He should have seen, back then, that she was digging her hooks into him, too. Having someone to listen, after being ignored for months by Colter, felt good.

Once he was done, Gage sat back, waiting for her to come to the right decision. He had left enough bait for Valkyrie to want to “help out” some Raiders, even if she was the Minutemen’s General. He assumed she’d thought them misguided – why else would she even listen to Harvey’s bullshit story in the station?

“Can I ask you a personal question?” she said after a few moments, her face serious enough to put Gage on edge.

“Yeah…”

Valkyrie pointed at his patch. “Is that thing bolted to your face, or does it, like, slap against your head when you run?”

Gage felt his face heat up in a mix of embarrassment and fury. “What the hell kinda question is that?!”

“Sorry, too personal, but that _can’t_ be comfortable…” Valkyrie continued. Beside her, Cait seemed to be having a coughing fit, smothering her giggles into the crook of her elbow.

Growling, Gage pulled up the metal plate, showing her the damaged socket and scar tissue the patch covered. Once again, he caught that flash of sympathy in Valkyrie’s eyes as she climbed off the couch to get a better look.

“Oh, God…” she murmured. When she reached her hand out to touch his face, Gage let the patch drop back into place.

“Don’t touch. Did that satisfy your curiosity?” he grumbled, disliking the wave of self-consciousness that swept through him at her expression of pity. Cait’s stifled snicker didn’t help.

Valkyrie blinked and retracted her hand, as if suddenly remembering that poking a stranger in his empty socket was kind of **rude**. “Sorry. Yeah… I just…” She took a deep breath and looked him in the good eye. Even patted his hand, catching him off-guard for a second. “It’s your business. Still friends?”

Gage pulled his hand away and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Fine. Just… hands off. The Pack bites, literally, and the Disciples might cost you your arm. Operators… well, you’ll just vanish if you go pokin’ the wrong person. Got it?”

Valkyrie grinned and waved him off. “They won’t be a problem. Everyone likes me.”

“…Yeah.” Gage sighed and stood up. “You should probably go introduce yourself to the gangs. Promise them they’ll see some bloodshed, show’em some teeth, and above all else, let’em know what kind of caps you’ll rake in. Once that’s over with, we can get started. There’s a lotta work to be done here.”

Valkyrie stood up and clapped her hands together. “Good. Cait, you hang out here. I’ll be back soon.”

Cait raised her bottle in salute as Valkyrie swept her hat off the floor. Not bothering to tie her hair up again, she went to the lift and headed down, leaving Gage with Cait.

“So, what’s in it fer you?” Cait asked, when the lift came to a stop at the bottom.

“You mean having her as the Overboss?” Gage replied, picking up Valkyrie’s discarded empty and dropping it in a trashcan.

Cait sat forward on the couch and watched him. He struggled to place where he’d seen her before. He would have to ask around. “Aye. You said yerself that you know who she is. Reputation precedin’ her an’ all that. Don’t think I didn’t see you playin’ pity party to get her on your side. Val’s no fool. You cross her, an’ you’ll be joinin’ that arsehole we put away for you.”

Gage leaned against the bar and folded his arms over his chest. Cait was strong, he could see that. She looked ready to fight – and that was when it had hit him. “You’re that spitfire from the Combat Zone.”

“One an’ the same, but don’t go changin’ the subject. Val’s a good person, maybe too damned good fer the likes of either of us. But she’s not naïve, Porter Gage. She took down the-“

“Yeah, yeah, I heard, took down the Institute by blowin’ a crater into the middle of Cambridge. Real feisty,” Gage snapped.

“Wasn’t what I was gonna say.” Cait got up from her seat and threw her shotgun over her shoulders, draping her hands over the ends. “She’s hunted down mercs, Forged, even a sick bastard operating near Goodneighbor. She’s a sureshot at over a hundred paces. Has a Super Mutant calling her his leader. And despite all that shite, she’s still willing to extend you an’ yours a hand, even if you’d rip her limb from limb if ye weren’t desperate.”

Gage rolled his eye and put his hands on his hips. “You goin’ somewhere with this?”

“She’s made a lot of friends, and enemies. Take a guess as to which one has the bigger numbers.”

“If she drags a Minutemen army to our gates, it won’t matter how many friends she has. We’re still Raiders. We still out number them.”

Cait smiled, but not in a way that made Gage comfortable at all. “You sure about that, darlin’?”

 

The question Cait left him with made Gage second guess his decision. There was no way Valkyrie would work with them, especially after meeting Nisha or the Blacks. Mason was always a crapshoot – his personality was much more relaxed than the other Raiders, despite him being just as bloodthirsty as any other.

Still, there was a feeling of relief when the lift brought Valkyrie back to the top of Fizztop Grille. A painted-up rifle was slung over her shoulder, but from the deep frown she wore, Gage guessed that not everyone had exactly warmed up to their new boss.

“Well, you’re back, in one piece. I take it things went… well?” Gage asked, getting up to greet her. Cait waved from one of the couches, having spent the better part of her wait cleaning her shotgun.

Valkyrie looked up at Gage and gave him a hard look; he tried to guess what she might say.

“I don’t like Nisha.”

Gage sighed. “Could be worse, she could’ve killed you. The fact that you walked out of there-“

“She called you a failure.” Valkyrie crossed to the bar and sat the painted rifle on top of it. She looked troubled.

Now, Gage knew not many of the gang leaders liked him. They had made that clear, even when he had been stuck organizing their meetings and trying to get Colter off his sorry ass. While Nisha had always treated him (and anyone else who wasn’t a Disciple) with disdain, hearing it outright still caught him off guard. That, and how it seemed to bother Valkyrie, who had maybe known him for an hour.

“Ain’t surprised,” he said, taking a stool next to where she stood. “They ain’t fond of my bein’ Colter’s right hand man.”

Valkyrie turned and looked at him, and for a moment, Gage felt like he was waiting for a dam to break, a flood of questions. He got one, again learning that he shouldn’t bother trying to predict her train of thought.

“Are Mags and William, like… fucking?”

Gage sputtered and shook his head. “Gah, I hope not. They’re brother and sister.” He shuddered and rubbed at his face. “Thanks for that mental image.”

“I just had the feeling like Mags wanted to drag me to her room, but William was having none of that. Felt like jealousy,” Valkyrie continued, ignoring Gage as he groped for something to drink, wash the taste of bile from his mouth.

“Mags always talks like that,” Gage said, panting after throwing back half a Nuka Cola. “Some sort of bedroom voice. William’s just an asshole.” Wanting off the subject of William, Mags, and the uncomfortable idea Valkyrie had planted in his head, Gage gestured to the gun.

“You meet Mason, too?”

“I think he likes me.” Val patted the gun on the counter. “He likes a tough chick.”

Cait piped up from her seat: “Knew someone would like ya, darlin’. Yer always makin’ friends. Pisses me off.”

Valkyrie’s uneasy expression softened into a smile. “Even though we’re friends?”

“Specially then, love.”

Gage set his bottle down with more force than necessary. “Ladies, I appreciate the banter but can we focus? Are you gonna help us out or not?”

“What, precisely, do you need?” Valkyrie asked as she took a seat beside Gage.

“We need space. There’s five designated areas that are all nice’an’ fortified all over this park, but we can’t get into’em. Seems like an army headin’ in just don’t work. Maybe if the two of us head out there, get a little sneaky…” Gage explained.

“Wait, two of us? You wanna come with me?” Valkyrie exclaimed, just as Cait looked up again.

“You’re not ditchin’ me here!”

Valkyrie pointed to Cait. “I want to know she’ll have safe passage out of here.”

Gage took a deep breath. “As far as gettin’ to the station, fine. After that, she’s on her own.”

Valkyrie smiled again and held out her hand. “Then, Porter, we’ve got a deal.”

“You can just call me Gage. Everyone else does, boss.”

Valkyrie’s smile didn’t waver in the least. “Well, you can call me boss… or Val. Everyone else does, Gage.”

*****

“You asleep, dead, or just moping?”

Gage hissed at the crick in his neck when he jerked his head up. He had fallen asleep, so bored with nothing to do, that he didn’t even notice that he’d passed out. Waking up to Preston Garvey standing outside of his cell was even more of a pain.

“Hate to break it to ya, kid, but I don’t go down that easy,” Gage snarled. “The hell do you want?”

Preston stood at the cell door, arms folded over his chest. “Just checking in. As much as I hate your guts, Val’s asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“So, ‘Val’ is it, huh? Tell me, Garvey… is the sex good?”

The way Preston sputtered in outrage was too good. “That’s—no, the General and I are just-“

Gage sat forward on his bunk, taking the opportunity to keep riling him up. Anything to stave off the boredom, even if he had to keep company with a Minuteman. “Friends with benefits? I prefer ‘fuck buddies,’ gets right to the point.”

“General Valkyrie and I are not involved,” Preston insisted, his arms tight at his sides and fists balled up like he wanted to sock Gage right in his good eye.

That didn’t stop Gage from wanting to poke the bear. “You really wanna know what gets her motor runnin’? Is that why you’re here? Seein’ what you can milk outta me so your _service_ to the good General is tip-top, boy scout? Issat it?”

Preston turned a furious scarlet and looked away. “You’re disgusting.”

“Hey, I’m offerin’ you tips here, kid. I’ve had sex with her, too.”

If looks could kill, Gage reasoned he’d be dead, with the scalding look Preston gave him.

“What the General does- _did_ with you is none of my business. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a bitter, old Raider who’s outlived his life expectancy. Why Val even cares about you is beyond me.” Preston folded his arms over his chest, the steam blown off. “If it weren’t _for_ her, you’d be dead. And as far as your relationship’s concerned, I believe she might have gotten swept up in-“

“D’you know what her favorite color is?” Gage interrupted. He got up from where he sat and approached the cell door. He took no small amount of satisfaction in seeing Preston back up to make sure he was out of reach.

“W-hat?”

Gage leaned one arm up on the doorframe. It still held, but he wasn’t trying to escape at the moment. He pressed his forehead to the crossbar and looked right at Preston.

“I said, do you know what her favorite color is?”

Preston frowned and shook his head. “I don’t under—blue. It’s blue. Her hair’s blue, she repainted Codsw-”

“But do you know _why_ it’s blue?”

Again, another frown on Garvey’s face as the question stumped him.

Gage shifted and rested his shoulder on the bars. “How about her favorite flower?”

Preston huffed and put his hands on his hips. “Are you going somewhere with this?”

“Just provin’ a point. You can check with her later, after you tell me what you think the answer is.”

A moment of silence passed before Preston took a guess. “Hubflowers.”

“To eat, maybe. But you ain’t seen the way she lights up over Fever Blossoms. First time she saw’em in an open part of the park, she said they looked like a sea of stars, fallen to Earth. Cheesy as _shit_ , but when you’re, well, _me_ , hearin’ someone get awestruck over a buncha weeds, well… that sticks with ya.” Gage cleared his throat, stuffing down the swell of emotion over a stupid memory.

In a small voice, Preston ventured further. “Why blue?”

Gage smirked, but only because Preston asked; there was no mirth in his voice.

“Because a blue sky means it’s a clear day. Clear days are good for snipers… clear shot, quick kill. Quick kill means back home sooner, and gettin’ paid faster. You oughta pay attention, Garvey. Your pretty li’l General… she’s still a killer.” He turned away from Preston and leaned his back on the bars. “Believe me or don’t, I don’t really give a shit what you do.”

“I don’t know if I believe it, but…” Preston scoffed and stepped away from the bars. “The General might have blood on her hands, but we all do, anyone who’s followed her, myself included. And if you think she doesn’t care, well… you’re only lying to yourself.”

“Shut the fuck up, Garvey. Ain’t you got some sheep to herd?” Gage pushed away from the bars of the cell and walked as far as the space would allow, even if it meant staring at a brick wall.

“Have it your way, then. I’ll radio her, let her know you miss her.”

“Fuck you. Seriously, just… fuck you.”


	2. Buttercream Castles and Ice Cream Headaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage's first day getting to know his new Overboss.

First day of work with the new Overboss. Gage had gone to wake Valkyrie, as he’d done for Colter a hundred times over, pleasantly surprised to see her up and wearing her Vault blues, even if she wasn’t ready to actually leave yet.

He found her sitting at Colter’s desk, leaning over a copy of the park’s map, tapping in locations onto her Pip-boy. He straddled the chair on the other side and watched, waiting for her to speak. He set his coffee cup down on the desk, and quickly realized that was a mistake – Valkyrie snatched it up and downed the last half in a single go. He barely lifted his hand in response when the empty cup hit the table again.

“Thanks, I drank the last Nuka an hour ago,” she said, not even looking up.

“That was mine…” Gage trailed, rubbing his face with one hand. “Whatever. You got a plan already?”

Valkyrie looked up and smiled. Big, toothy, almost eager. At least she seemed _pleased_ with something to do. “I’ve got a few ideas, but I noticed… there’s a few places missing from here that aren’t part of the park. Could see’em coming in on the tram.”

Gage nodded, glad his new boss was at least observant. “There’s Bradberton,” he said, tapping the vague illustration in the corner nearest him. “Far as I can tell, it’s abandoned. Old town… best guess is that it was where the park owner lived, given that it’s named after the man.”

“Might be worth checking out.” Valkyrie lifted a pair of cap-shaped glasses and put them on. “Met this gal down by the Marketplace. Sierra. She said Bradberton had some sort of secret codes hidden in the park. Maybe the guy hid some shit at his old place.”

“He was a rich fucker, that’s for sure. Worst case, we carry out something worth trading off,” Gage said. He tapped the map, where a castle made of candy stuck out in bright colors, even for being so damn old. “Gotta warn ya, though, seen ghouls creeping between there and this place. Called Kiddie Kingdom, but it’s all irradiated. Hope you got some Rad X.”

Val pointed to her pack. “Got some at the Marketplace. Traded some of the shit Colter had stashed around here for meds and bullets. He had shitty taste.”

Gage snorted and nodded, grabbing his empty coffee cup as he started to stand again. A thought occurred, and he paused, leaning on the desk. “Boss, about Colter…”

“Can it wait? I wanna get going. Hate sitting around too long.” Valkyrie folded up the map and walked away from the desk, over to where her gear laid in wait.

Gage frowned, but nodded. “Yeah, fine. Just… I’ll put a pin in it, awright.”

“Sounds good,” Valkyrie replied, pulling on her leathers.

 

The sun beat down on them, drying out what little rainfall had passed in the night. Gage hated when it rained – more bugs were out when the ground was soaked; cave crickets and ant swarms and bloodworms surfaced like maggots on a corpse.

Val kept her hat pulled low and her rifle at her back. A couple of handguns were on her hips – some little peashooter with a silencer, and a revolver that looked like it had cost her a pretty penny. Gage promised himself to ask about it when he had the chance. For now, the hike toward Bradberton kept conversation brief, with Gage pointing out locales to check and places for shelter between the small town and Nuka World proper. He also warned her of the outsiders who tried to dig into their little trenches, cutting out pieces of land outside the park: Gunners, mostly, and some loony cult holed up just outside the junkyard.

Afternoon already had hit when they reached Bradberton, and just as Gage had promised, the place was swarming with ghouls. After fighting their way into a house, Valkyrie plopped onto the remains of a couch and wiped at her face.

“Goddamned ferals. Cost me my hat.”

Gage tugged off his armor in a huff and threw it down near Val’s feet. Ghoul guts and rancid blood stuck to it and made it rank. He needed to clean it, but at the time, it had only felt constricting. He fell onto the couch beside Val and pulled off his patch, rubbing the sweat away from his face.

“Your choice to come out here, boss. You cost yourself that damn hat,” he grumbled, rubbing at the scar tissue.

Val shook her head and leaned forward, digging into her pack. “I thought there might be people out here, but it’s all ferals. Which sucks.” She fished out a bottle of water and passed it to Gage. “I mean, there’s so few people out here.”

Gage took the water and poured some over his face before taking a drink. “Why do you think we took over so well, where we could? The park area was largely abandoned, save for those few traders. But, gettin’ away from the park’s always been a problem. None of the gangs wanna cooperate to clear nothin’ out. Think that’s why Colter stopped giving a shit. He didn’t want to choose who got what territories.”

Val snorted and opened her own water. “Dumbass. It’s not that hard to get people to work together, even shitheads.”

“I happen to represent those shitheads you’re currently leadin’, Boss. Lest you forget.”

Chuckling, Valkyrie nudged him with her elbow. “I haven’t forgotten, Grumblebee.”

Gage nearly dropped his water. He turned in his seat, to glare at her. If he hadn’t dropped his gun on the floor to get the ghoul shit off of him, he might have pointed it at her.

“The _fuck_ did you just call me?”

If he never had a definition for “shit eating grin” he had one now, with the look Val gave him.

“Grumblebee. Bee-cause you wear yellow and you grumble a lot.”

Gage wished, for once, that the bottle in his hand was alcohol. Just for a moment. “What the actual fuck-“

Val just _kept_ smiling, nearly laughing as she pointed an accusing finger at him. “How many Giddyup Buttercups died for your armor, Gage? How many?!”

“It ain’t made- no, fuck you, it’s just metal-“

“Buttercups!”

“It was part of a ride!” Gage shouted. He squeezed the water canister so hard, it spilled over his hand and onto his lap. The room stilled to silence, then Val started to laugh, hard enough to double over. When she started to sit up again, she looked at his flushed, furious expression and just leaned into his side, laughing more.

Gage threw her to the other end of the couch. “Get offa me!” he hissed, feeling embarrassment sink into the pit of his stomach. He drained the last of his water into his mouth and threw the canister at Val, who didn’t bother to deflect it, just took the hit to her side.

She was still laughing when she rolled off the couch and dug into her pack, chuckles coming in small gags of sound as she rummaged, coming up with a Nuka World shirt. On her knees, she made to mop up the water, and Gage recoiled from her.

“Here, just-I’m sorry, I just-“

“Boss, no, get-“

“Gage, just let me-“

“CHRIST, WOMAN, _STOP_.”

Val withdrew her hands as if Gage had just pulled a gun on her, and the laughing stopped. She took a deep breath and sat back on her heels, out of range. He snatched the shirt from her hands and mopped up his jeans as best he could, muttering under his breath about making a mistake.

“…you can’t even take shit seriously, you ain’t a Raider, don’t know why I bothered-“

Val interrupted. “You needed help. I came to help,” she said. “And no, I can’t… because it’s all just… forget it. You don’t give a shit.” Her face drew into a neutral mask; something Gage was all-too familiar with when people were hiding something deep.

Getting to her feet, Val left Gage in the one room, taking her sniper rifle with her. “I’m gonna go upstairs, gonna see if there’s any roamers, pick’em off before they catch onto where we’re at.”

No less than five minutes passed before Gage heard the report of Val’s rifle, and the familiar ‘plink’ of bullet shells hitting the floor by the window. His anger had settled for the most part, calmed when he heard another shot fired, another bullet casing on the floor.

_Well, shit, we’re off to a bangup start…_ Gage thought, getting to his feet. He wasn’t one for talking about hurt feelings, but he needed her head clear if they were gonna take the park. Might as well put something on the table, give Val something to understand him with. Clear the air about Colter, before it got to her and she took off.

 

Upstairs, Val crouched before the window. Her eye was at the scope, finger on the trigger. She held her breath, then – pop! Another ghoul in the dirt, somewhere outside.

Gage leaned in the doorway to the bedroom Val camped out in, watching her line up a shot. It had gone so quiet, Gage nearly jumped when she spoke.

“I’m sorry,” was all she said before she pulled her gun from the window and looked at Gage. “Won’t call you any nicknames. I gotta work on that.”

“Reckon so. And really, yer pet name ain’t the _worst_ thing I’ve been called, but it’s just too damn cute. Ain’t fitting for a Raider to be called ‘grumblebee.’ Enough of’em have dumbass names already.” Gage hoped he sounded nonchalant. Val wasn’t looking at him, just watching the outside world for more ghouls.

“I’m still stuck on the yellow.”

Gage snorted and crouched near her, his good eye scanning the horizon for movement before he looked at her. “Fuck it. I like yellow, but it ain’t made of _toys_. It was a busted up racecar ride. Metal was free, had enough leftover for this.” He reached up and tapped his eye patch. “And plenty of sharp bolts. Works for me.”

Val smirked and shouldered her rifle. “Could be worse, you could be covered in teddy bears.”

Gage chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I could.”

Getting to her feet, Val let out a groan. “I think it’s safe to move out. We scrounge what we can and move on.”

“You’re the Overboss.”

 

After they scavenged what they could from the house, they moved onto another, where they found the corpse of a ghoul woman – shot dead by her own hand, apparently. Gage chose to stay back, but Val found a holotape among the woman’s things, and listened to it. When she heard the story, Val shook her head, pitying the poor thing for her fate.

Gage didn’t really feel sympathy for the ghoul, but he understood. “If I ever went ghoul, I’d probably do the same,” he said, to no response out of Val.

Instead, she stood up and pocketed the holotape. “We’ve gotta find who this belongs to. Tell Oswald what happened to her.”

Shaking his head, Gage protested. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Boss. No idea who that even-“

“You said a lot of ghouls come out of Kiddie Kingdom, right? We could start there. If there are any that are still lucid, they might know who she was,” Val said, marching past Gage to leave the house.

Gage sighed and followed after, keeping his mouth shut until they were away from the building.

In the open fields again, Gage decided to pry, find something that was his Boss’ weakness. Maybe if he got her over it, she might really see what kind of fucked up world they were in, and quit backing the Minutemen. Hell, he’d put up with stupid nicknames if it meant she kept the job and kept him alive.

“Hey, Boss, can we talk now?”

“What’s up?”

“This whole thing with Colter… We talked about it, some, but I feel like it could be a sore spot between us, yeah? I set up the Overboss, who’s to say I wouldn’t do it to you?”

“The thought had crossed my mind…” Val said, giving him a sidelong glance as they marched toward Kiddie Kingdom.

Gage took a deep breath and launched into his story. How he talked Colter into being the boss, how he was just the right type – big, scary, tough…

“If you’re gonna tell me you shoved a hand up his ass and used him as a human puppet, I don’t wanna hear it.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn, woman, hell of an imagination on you. But, no, I wasn’t so much the puppet wrangler as his fuckin’ secretary, in the end. Bein’ the boss means you’re the biggest target. Either some other gang wantin’ yer shit, or some punk who thinks he knows more than the boss… but if I can be the guy behind the Boss, maybe I figure, I can get myself taken care of – and maybe others, too.”

Val stopped in front of him, caressing her free hand over Gage’s cheek. “You saying you wanna get up behind me and whisper in my ear? Gage, I didn’t know you had it in you,” she said, light, breathy, downright flirting with him.

Eye wide at her actions, Gage cleared his throat. He pushed her hand down, mentally blaming the sun overhead for the heat on his face.

“Damn it, boss, I’m being serious. You ain’t like Colter, is what I’m gettin’ at. Hell, compared to him, you’re pretty damn good. You’ve got a plan, which is more than I can say for that sorry sack of shit.”

“Even if I called you Grumblebee?”

Gage rolled his eye and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I got hotheaded, ain’t the first time. But you get where I’m goin’ with this, yeah? Much as we’ve gone through so far, I think we’re alright.”

“Good, glad to hear it.” Val took a few steps backwards, watching Gage as she walked away. “And, if you want the attention of the gal in charge, you’ve got my ear, Gage. You can talk to me. Promise.”

She turned away to take the lead again, bringing them to Kiddie Kingdom.

 

Gage knew a bad plan when he saw one. He knew this Oswald the Outrageous was going to kill them – man wasn’t just a ghoul, he was a goddamned **Glowing One** _,_ probably the only one he’d ever heard of that still had half a mind. Nevertheless, that didn’t make him any less dangerous.

They had already sucked down a lot of rads while traversing this damned park, and they both had puked up any rations from the day after getting stuck in that stupid funhouse. If Val would let him, Gage wanted to burn the place to the ground, let any gang perch on the ashes, for all they had just gone through to get this far.

Yet, despite the radiation being misted over them, the naked, painted ghouls chasing them down every time they turned a corner, and the car ride nearly taking them out at the shins when they tried to follow the track – and the snarky commentary from all corners of the Kingdom - Val still confronted Oswald with her guns all holstered.

“Please, Oswald, you have to believe me, Rachel… she’s dead.” Val produced the recovered holotape and played it for him on her Pip-boy. The old ghoul stopped in his tracks, listening. If Gage didn’t know better, he’d swear Oswald teared up.

Val’s voice was tight when the tape was over. “I’m sorry about your friends, and Rachel. I know what it’s like, losing your loved ones, feeling helpless to stop it.”

Gage frowned, keeping his distance, even as Valkyrie approached Oswald, flinching in pain as she took in the radiation he gave off. She put the tape in his hand, and then looked him in the eyes. From where he was, Gage could see the ghoul study her face, then remembered his own toxicity and gave Val space.

“You do know, don’t you?” murmured Oswald, looking down at the tape. “I—thank you, for this. We cannot undo what we’ve done to one another, but I can… I can go. I will take my friends, and take leave of this place. I will find a cure, and fix my friends. You may have the park, do with it as you like.”

Valkyrie waved from where she was. “If you find yourself in need of a place to stay in the Commonwealth, the Slog is an all-ghoul settlement. Or Goodneighbor, if you find yourself alone… Hancock will take care of you; just tell him Valkyrie sent you.”

“I see. Farewell then,” replied Oswald. He threw down another smoke grenade, vanishing in the gray puff.

Gage shook his head and left where he’d been keeping himself away from that whole mess.

“Don’t understand why you had to let him leave. We could have taken him. Now you’ve gone and gotten yourself all sick with rads again. We’re gonna have to make a run back to Nuka Town to get you cleaned up, Boss.”

Val turned to him, wobbling on her feet from the radiation. He grabbed her shoulders and helped her stay upright. “That’s fine. I think I’ve had enough adventure for today. Let’s get the Pack out here. They’ll probably love all the bright colors.” She nearly collapsed in his arms, and he grunted, catching Val just before she fell.

Gage helped her over to a crate and sat her down. “You got it. I’ll post the flag, you just stay here and don’t go fallin’ off the castle or nothin’. Last thing I need is to carry you back with a busted leg.”

“You’d leave me there to rot.”

“If I were mad with you, maybe,” Gage said. He went outside and found the flagpole, tying on the Pack’s flag and letting her fly. He watched it flare out in the wind, which started to shift from the south. On the horizon, he could see green flicker between the clouds.

Gage went back into the phony castle and pulled Valkyrie’s arm over his shoulders, giving her a boost. “Damn it, ‘nother friggin’ radstorm blowin’ in, Boss. We gotta take shelter.”

Valkyrie turned and grabbed the front of his armor for balance, struggling to walk on her own. Just how bad could rad poisoning get, again? Gage didn’t want to find out, especially if Val up and turned ghoulish on him.

“Downstairs, there were some places we could rest,” she said, pointing toward the elevator. Her arm fell back down with a flop as she tried to get over there by herself, pulling away from Gage.

Once again, he reached out and grabbed her before she face planted on the floor, but he was already tired of this. “Boss, you really gotta be careful. I don’t know why you didn’t just pop him one as soon as he showed his ugly mug. Could’ve spared yourself getting poisoned, at least.”

“Wasn’t lying when I said I knew…” Val breathed, stumbling into the elevator and leaning against the wall. She fished in her pack for a bottle, wrapped with wooden beads and the word “Ware” scratched into the glass.

“The fuck is that?” Gage asked, watching her chug back the vile, greenish liquid inside. Even with it not close to him, Gage could smell the foul liquid inside. “Some sorta moonshine?”

Valkyrie shook her head and stood up a little straighter, wiping her mouth with her arm. “Some brew I got up in Maine. Guy I met, Ware… he’s a Child of Atom, but he brews this shit for those who might’ve ‘seen the light’ but still suffer the effects. Works something like RadAway, without the need for IV.”

“Looks foul.”

“Tastes just as good, believe me.” Val coughed and wiped her mouth again. “But, it works, can’t deny that.”

Gage nodded and pushed away from her, all the same. The smell was cloying, almost sticky, like rotten sugar. “What is it, anyway?”

“Comes from irradiated tree sap… up in Maine. I’ll have to head up that way again if I want more. Pines like the one this is derived from,” she shook the bottle and something sloshed in with the brew, “don’t grow in the Commonwealth. Probably too warm.”

“Uh-huh.” Gage held the Door Open button, just as the first clap of thunder shook the candy castle. He followed her out until she disappeared behind a door, marked “CAST ONLY” behind the stage.

“This where we’re holin’ up, Boss?”

Valkyrie sank to the floor right beside an old couch. “Yeah. Stay with me, will you? If one of us needs the other, we don’t need to stumble around in the dark.”

“Pack will be here in the morning, once they spy the flag.”

“Good, they can clean up.”

Gage snorted and took a seat in the chair by the vanity. “Clean? Hell, boss, they might just leave those bodies hangin’ around. You’ve seen some of their furniture, aintcha?”

Val finished off her “brew” and set the empty bottle aside. At least her pale face looked less like death, so whatever it was, despite smelling like curdled beer, had started to work.

“Oh yeah. They certainly have an aesthetic they’ve committed to. Same for the Disciples. Never thought I’d see such a creative use of body parts.”

Gage chuckled and shook his head. “Boss, you ain’t gotta be nice about’em. They’d fucking skin you as soon as they thought they could. I think the only reason Nisha ain’t challenged Colter for the throne is because that would’ve just united the Pack and the Operators against her gang. She probably won’t do the same to you unless you screw her people over.”

Valkyrie got up just enough to get onto the couch and lean back. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do about them. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing _here_.”

Gage frowned, leaning forward in his seat. “Havin’ second thoughts already, Boss? On day one?” Outside, the thunder rolled, punctuating his question. It certainly matched his mood, the way the conversation was heading.

“I mean in general.”

Gage was silent for a moment, leaning back in his chair while Val unstrapped her armor. They weren’t heading anywhere in the rad storm, and honestly, Valkyrie’s choices had left him unbalanced and uncertain. Valkyrie had already let the ghoul go. Who was to say she wouldn’t just let someone else have their way in the park?

“You care to elaborate there, Boss?” he asked, leaving his own armor on for now. Let her get comfortable and vulnerable, for all he cared.

“You don’t want to listen to my shit, Gage. It’s not part of the plan.”

For a moment, Gage was offended. Yeah, he was a murderer and an all-around asshole, but that came with the territory. She knew that. “I gotta admit, boss, your little story to Oswald made me curious, but I ain’t exactly the ‘hold hands and cry it out type.’ Rather just deal with my own shit, ya feel me?”

Val lay down on the couch, covering her face with both hands. “Family. I lost my family,” she said, partially muffled. She fished under the collar of her Vault suit a moment, pulling out a pair of rings, one larger than the other. They hung on a filthy chain, making their gold shine even brighter in the dim room.

“Never had the heart to sell’em, even though it didn’t last that long,” Val said, tucking them away, even as Gage moved closer for a better look. Not that he blamed her for wanting to keep them out of sight. Any Raider or Scav looking for a small fortune would snatch those off in a heartbeat.

“Didn’t last? You shoot’im or something?”

Valkyrie sat up and away from Gage. For a brief second, he saw a flash of anger on her face, quick as a bolt of lightning, before she closed her eyes and looked away. Unstrapping the six-shooter from her thigh, Val placed it in her lap. She took a few deep breaths and dropped her head down. Gage waited; this felt like his moment to get what he was after, reel her onto his side, but he needed to be patient.

“A mercenary named Kellogg did. The Institute hired him to help steal my son, Shaun – Nate, by husband… he died trying to keep Shaun out of their hands. I just… watched. I was trapped in a cryopod. The last thing I saw before they froze me again was Kellogg’s smug face. Even though he’s dead… I’ll never forget the sound of his voice.” She shuddered and covered her mouth with one hand.

Gage nodded, his lips pressed together to keep from commenting. Valkyrie was upset, and Gage had no words to offer, anyway.

Val just pressed on, just kept talking. Her words came out strained and dry, edged with emotion. “It was the first time I lost someone I gave a shit about. I was supposed to retire, have a normal, boring, safe life in the suburbs, even if it was hell. At least Nate was… nice.” She sniffed and looked away.

“You need a moment, Boss? I can-“

“No, stay.” Val reached out and grasped his knee, then pulled back, obviously because of how Gage had yelled at her earlier.

Without thinking, Gage grabbed her hand and held it. Val looked up at him, stunned quiet. He looked down at his own hand, wondering where in the hell the impulse had come from, but he’d be damned if he let go now. Val scooted a little closer and squeezed his fingers.

_Got her,_ Gage thought. He did his best to keep his face neutral, maybe even look sorry for her.

“I don’t mean to dump this on you. Usually, I’m just… so pissed off, by everything. The Institute took everything from me and then they – their Director – wanted me to take over when he died.” Val squeezed his fingers harder, and Gage didn’t flinch, but he put his other hand over hers and she got the message. Loosening her grip, Val took another deep breath and kept talking.

“I killed Kellogg. Kept his gun as a trophy. I guess I wanted to make sure it didn’t fall into some other Merc’s hands, but… the fuck am I doing, really? Serving the Minutemen? I’m just-“

“A Merc with a mission?” Gage prompted. “Usually the way things are. This whole world is just made to tear you down. Might as well go down fightin’, right?”

Valkyrie pulled away and sat back on the couch. “I don’t know. Is it so bad to want to not live in fear? Not everyone’s made for fighting. I mean, I was, but…”

“You were?” Gage got up from his chair and moved onto the couch beside her. Keeping her close seemed like the way to get her to listen to him. And everything she let onto, just made him wonder more. “I mean, you’re a helluva shot, don’t get me wrong…”

Valkyrie smiled, lopsided and exhausted. “It’s a long story, Gage. I haven’t told anyone all of it, mostly ‘cause no one needs to know. It’s not important anymore.”

Gage frowned and nodded. Valkyrie clamming up meant no more angles to work. But, he was a pretty patient man, if he was anything. Going after the park had taken so damned long… He could wait, and learn. Until then, they had work to do.

“Well, Boss, I appreciate it anyhow. Not many people wanna run with a Raider in the first place, ‘less they’re one, too.” He got to his feet, and stretched, feeling his spine pop. “I’m gonna rummage for something to eat. If that ghoul was hiding out here, makes sense if he left some rations behind. Just hope they ain’t as green as his balls were.”

Valkyrie broke into a snorting laugh from the couch. “Christ, Gage…” she chuckled.

“C’mon, tell me it didn’t occur to you.” Gage turned and smirked at her. “Not that I wanna see’em outta anything else but curiosity.”

“Gives new meaning to the term ‘glowstick,’ doesn’t it?” Val snickered.

Gage couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh with her. “Ha! Probably makes pissin’ at night real easy.”

“Never need a nightlight again!” Val pulled her legs up onto the couch with her. The improved mood seemed to be fading, but she didn’t break down, at least. Rolling onto her side, she curled up there on the couch.

For a moment, it caught Gage off guard, how a tall woman like her could look so damn small. Opening herself up like that, and to a Raider of all people – no, not just a Raider – to _him_. He wasn’t anything special, just a little wiser for his troubles.

And yet…

“I’m gonna go forage. You just stay here and recupe, alright?”

Val made a small noise of confirmation, not moving from her spot.

Much as he could expect, the only stash the old ghoul had was a bunch of sweets; funnel cakes and cotton candy, but at least it was better than eating nothing. He loaded up what he could carry and headed back to the dressing rooms, elbowing the door open.

“I got some sugary shi---“ Gage nearly dropped the funnel cake in his hand as he took in Valkyrie, who gave him a sheepish look. “You weren’t gonna dress up for li’l ole me, were ya, Boss?”

Val tossed the dress she had been examining to one side, her face just as red as the outfit. “I just found it in the wardrobe. There’s a bunch of costumes in there.”

“You think I’m gonna judge you for playin’ dress up? I mean, you met Mason, right?” Gage asked, still amused as he took a seat with the pilfered food, dumping it on the vanity table. “I bet you’d look nice.”

Valkyrie snatched a funnel cake and sat back down on the couch. “Now I know you’re fucking with me,” she said, peeling apart the paper box. “You don’t have to kiss up, Gage. You’re already my right-hand guy.”

Gage sat back in his chair and stretched his legs out, helping himself to a canister of crisps. “Ain’t sucking up.” He licked the salt off his fingers and pointed at her. “Tell me you ain’t even tried it.”

“I’ll put the dress on when you put on a tux,” Val shot back, wiping sugar off on her leg. “I bet Oswald had a few spares around here. And a fancy hat to go with it!”

“Val, what is it with you and hats?”

“I don’t know, _Porter_. What’s it with you wanting to see me in a little red dress?”

Gage rolled his eye and threw the lid of the crisps at her. “You were the one fawning over it when I came back. You have daydreams about being a magician’s assistant or something?”

“Nothing like that. I just found it.” Val looked away from him, giving Gage the feeling that there was more to it than what she let on, but Gage didn’t have the mind to tease the information out of her. It wasn’t really important anyway – he just didn’t need her moping across the park for however long they were going to do this.

“Alright then.” He turned his chair, letting her sulk a moment before adding: “If you took it now, worst case is, you can always trade it in the Marketplace,” he suggested, watching her from the corner of his eye.

“Only if you grab a suit for date night,” Val said quickly, stuffing a large piece of funnel cake into her mouth.

Gage watched her for a moment. He wanted to call her bluff, or hell, just let the whole thing go, but now she had drawn a line, and it wasn’t exactly one he had a problem with. Wordlessly, he got up and went to the wardrobe, finding one of the magician’s old suits and throwing it on top of the dress she had discarded.

Sitting back in his chair, he popped open a Nuka Cola and waited.

“Well, fuck.” Valkyrie swallowed hard enough for Gage to hear it. “I thought that would have been the last straw for you.”

“Boss, c’mon. I’m a Raider. You think I ain’t done stupid shit just to prove a point?”

“Fair enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who has read so far. I really appreciate it. :) This is kind of a new writing venue for me, since Val is an OC.


	3. Porter and Reporter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage gets another visit, from Diamond City's intrepid reporter, Piper Wright. "What does the right hand man of Nuka World's Overboss have to say for himself?"

A rattle of metal had Gage looking up from where he balanced on the floor, mid-pushup. He frowned at the woman come to call, not interested in her or any of her prying questions. Valkyrie had already told him plenty about her nosy reporter friend, and being _interviewed_ was the last thing Gage wanted.

“No,” he grunted, resuming his pushups.

“I haven’t even said anything,” Piper replied, putting a tray of food just inside the door. “Brought your dinner. And some fresh water. Figure you’re probably sick of Nuka Cola.”

“I’m sick of being in this damn cage. You wanna do me a favor, get me outta here.”

“’Fraid I can’t do that. Blue would have my head, and I’m pretty fond of where it is.” She flicked a lighter a couple times, lighting up a cigarette. “Porter Gage, right hand man of Nuka World’s Overboss.”

Gage rolled onto his feet. “I said ‘no,’ or is that the one word not in your vocabulary?”

“Well, I’ve never been one to balk at a challenge. You might play up the ‘aloof badguy’ thing, but you’re alive right now because Blue lov-“

“Shut the fuck up.” Gage snarled, charging the cell doors. Piper took a step back, but just took a drag of her smoke. Gage followed the ember glow with his eye. “You don’t know shit.”

“I know Blue.”

“She’s got a name.”

Piper smiled, and Gage bit the inside of his cheek. He looked down at his plate of food and grabbed it, stalking away to sit on his cot and eat. He was getting real tired of people pushing his buttons – that had to be the reason for the isolation. It was to make him snap, break him down and make him malleable. He resolved to keep his wits. They could torture him for all he cared – he wasn’t going to let anyone turn him into some pussy _Minuteman._

“Preston told me about the fever blossoms. I don’t think anyone else knew that but you.” After a moment of Gage giving her the silent treatment, she pressed on, regardless of his non-reaction. “You know why it hurts.”

He didn’t have to look at her to know she had a look of pity on her face. It was in the tone of her voice. She felt _sorry_ for him, because he was the Raider, the bad guy who let himself grow a soft spot. For his _boss._ Because he fell into one of the oldest traps in the world, and didn’t see it coming until he was well and truly fucked.

“Don’t need pity,” he growled.

“I don’t know if what I feel for you is pity or indigestion. I thought Blue had better taste, but… something you said or did for her is what kept you alive when shit hit the fan. If you thought she didn’t care-“

*CRASH!* Gage threw his plate at the bars, shattering it into a dozen shards. Piper swore and backed off, jumping back to avoid the ceramic flying at her. She threw down the butt of her cigarette and stomped it out.

“Tetchy asshole, aren’t you? I just came here to talk, you know.” Piper kicked at the larger pieces, scooting them away from the door, beyond Gage’s reach. At least she was wise enough to not leave him with a potential weapon.

“Yeah, try to milk me for information, make me out to be the laughing stock of the Commonwealth, an embarrassing sob story to make everyone else feel better about their shitty little lives. Pass.”

Piper’s voice was just too damn soft when she replied. “Or maybe tell a story about a man who didn’t think he could be loved, finding it in a woman he’d follow to the ends of the Earth.”

Gage started to laugh, the sound forced, ugly and it even hurt his lungs, making himself bark noises like that, but he couldn’t stand Piper’s dumbass idea any longer. “You really think that’s what we- what I’d even do? No wonder you get along with Valkyrie so well. Both of you think up the looniest shit. Maybe you should quit journalism and head right to fiction, with that bullshit you just spouted.”

“So then, what was it really like, falling for Val? I mean, I get it. She’s something else.”

“Fuck off. It’s not like she’s someone amazing.”

“I never said ‘amazing,’ Gage. I just said ‘else.’ Because Blue _is_ something else, and you connected with that.”

Gage snickered and leaned back against the wall. “Oh, we _connected,_ alright. Few times a week, if I was lucky.”

“Gross. That’s not what I meant.”

“If you’re gonna keep fishin’, take yer pole and go. Lake’s closed.” Gage closed his eye, hoping that just ignoring Piper would make her give up and go away.

If only he were so lucky.

“What if I asked you what she’s like?”

Gage kept his eye shut. “Ain’t you her friend? Go bug her. I’m busy being imprisoned.”

“Well, if you’re gonna be stubborn, I can just stand here and talk. I’m really good at that.” Piper flicked her lighter a couple times, and Gage glanced her way. “Trade you a smoke for a story.”

Gage snorted. She might not be a Raider, but the gal knew how to play dirty. “I’m tryin’ to quit.”

“C’mon, really? You don’t want one? Or to tell things in your own words? Maybe people want insight as to what Valkyrie’s really like. The woman behind the General. Or, you know… maybe the man behind the Overboss? Because you’re not like any other Raider out there.”

“You got a memory problem? I said ‘no.’ Take it and get lost.” Gage felt like maybe he _was_ going to lose it. He made a mental note to shoot Piper first, if he ever got free.

“All right… I’ll leave it, for now. I just figured a story like yours might be interesting. Show people that not all Raiders are truly bad, just… fucked up, like the rest of the world. Maybe they can even change for the better, if they want.” He could hear Piper scoop up the pieces of broken plate into a pile.

“This shit again… seriously. You’re lookin’ for something that ain’t there. I’m no changed man.”

Piper jostled the pile of broken ceramic in her hands, and he could feel her eyes on him.

“But are you still a Raider?”

He wanted to just say “yes,” give her a flat answer and maybe kill that bit of hope she had that he was some sort of redemption case, made all the better by a “good woman” like Valkyrie. However, he hesitated, knowing that he didn’t really care for them, either. He’d confessed as much to Val, what seemed like forever ago...

“That’s what I thought.”

Piper left Gage alone. The quiet was just too damn loud with her gone.

*****

“You know, Porter, I’ve been thinking,” shouted Valkyrie, her voice barely carrying over the sounds of gunfire. “This place has a movie theater, maybe we can have our date here!” she suggested, even as a Assaultron painted up in white and gold charged at her.

Back to back, Gage could hardly hear her, trying to get a bead on a pesky pair of Eyebots that kept trying to zap him with their lasers. They were hardly lethal, but they burned like hell and enough wounds at once were prey to infection.

“You think the movies are still good after all this time?” Gage called back, flipping his rifle to use it like a bat when an Eyebot floated within his reach. It ended up much more effective than trying to shoot the damned thing as the Eyebot went spiraling into a lamppost, only to right itself just as it crashed into the ground.

“FUCK!”

“On the first date? ---Shit!” Gage turned around in time to witness the Assaultron tackle Val to the ground. The head lit up, and the robot reared back to blast Val right in the face. Gage rammed into it with his shoulder, feeling something dislodge with a loud CRACK that he felt through his teeth.

Tumbling on the ground with the Assaultron, Gage found himself in the exact same position Val had been in, with only the barrier of his gun keeping the robot from pinning his arms. Before the head lit up again, it exploded in a rain of sparks, showering Gage with a rain of broken circuits. Val lowered Kellogg’s gun slowly, in case the robot still had some life left in it.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Gage shoved the busted Assaultron off him, brushing the bits of robot away as he staggered to his feet. Val hooked a hand under his arm and helped him up, only to shove Gage aside when the remaining Eyebot floated into range and started to zap her again.

Val screamed, primal, frustrated, and jumped after it, grabbing the bot by its delicate antennae. The Eyebot missed escaping Val’s reach and started to fly away while she dangled from it, her boots just scraping the ground. Gage could hear the servos that kept it floating whirring in attempt to keep it aloft with Val hanging from it. The parts she had in hand snapped off, and the last Eyebot sailed off in sad, crooked lines, thrown off by the damage. Val hit the ground, swearing after the machine.

“YOU LITTLE MOTHERFUCKER! I’LL TURN YOUR TIN ASS INTO A TOILET SEAT!” she shouted, throwing the broken antennae after the retreating robot.

Gage took his turn to help Val back to her feet, chuckling at her frustration. “You alright there, Boss? Looked like it was gonna carry you off to its nest…” he said. He shared her sentiment, though. Too many damned robots in one place, even if it was _thematic_.

Val shoved at his chest and staggered away from him, scooping up her fallen rifle. She was bruised and tired – hell, Gage probably didn’t look much better. “Those fuckers are lucky they don’t have necks or I’d choke’em all out,” she grumbled, swinging her firearm over her shoulder. “I might not talk to Codsworth for a while…” she added.

“Codsworth?” Gage asked, still amused. “Sounds like a butler.”

“He pretty much is. He’s a Mister Handy, gifted to my husband for…” Val looked up at the overcast sky. It wasn’t raining yet, but it was getting darker. “For meritorious service to the United States,” she finished. “And if you dump your watery shit on me again, I will come up there and fight you,” she added, raising a fist to threaten the literal sky.

Gage laughed and put an arm around Val’s shoulders, guiding her away from the open area they were in. If it was going to rain again, better to take shelter while they could. It had been a week since they took over Kiddie Kingdom, and they had been stuck in the Galactic Zone for three days. The robots had been too damned relentless, even when Val had managed to put together the mainframe enough to avoid being hunted down by Sentries.

“If you’re gonna fight the sky, I suggest a bigger gun,” Gage said, leading the way back to their camp.

Valkyrie dropped her arm and leaned into Gage’s space, putting her own arm across the small of his back. “How’s your arm?” she asked. “Heard something pop when you tackled that robobitch.”

“Hurts like hell. Might need to be put back in place,” Gage said, rolling his shoulder with a hiss.

“We’ve got Stims at camp. Won’t let you suffer for long,” Val reassured him.

 

Night fell, and darkness rolled over the Galactic Zone. The clouds overhead passed without spilling a single drop, leaving a canopy of stars overhead. The robots they had yet to gun down rattled past their encampment, sensors sweeping right over the broken models Gage and Val had propped up to block the gates of the backlot area they huddled inside.

Valkyrie popped Gage’s arm back into joint; in turn, he wrapped the cleanest cloth they could scrounge over gashes on Val’s arms and stomach. After he took stock of what supplies they had left, Gage built a fire, stoking it to life with a small pile of busted planks.

Silence followed, only punctuated by snaps from the fire.

“Hey, boss, can I ask you somethin’?” Gage said, breaking the silence.

Val grinned at him from over the fire. “Didn’t you just…?”

“Oh my god, I oughta shoot you right now… seriously though… We been running together for a while now. You ain’t afraid to take what you want, and don’t let nobody get in your way. Got more guts than most folks… so…what’s in this for you? Why are you here?”

Val frowned and folded her legs in front of herself. Her gaze went to the fire, washing out blue eyes to a dark gray. “I like doing whatever I want. Can’t really do that back in the Commonwealth.”

“It’s a good way to live, so long as it don’t get you killed…” Gage said, watching Val’s profile over the flames. She didn’t look up at him, but he pressed on. “Lots of folks are afraid to do that. They just go on, day by day, scraping together shitty little lives for themselves. They struggle every day until something catches them off guard until… that’s it, lights out.”

“People make do with whatever they’ve got, Gage,” Val interrupted, not looking up from the fire.

“Man, that’s such fuckin’ bullshit!” Gage snapped. Val finally looked up at him and he felt better that she was paying attention. “If you ask me, people are just too damn stupid to realize the deck’s stacked against them from day one – this whole world’s made to just tear you down.”

“Maybe it is.” Val replied, quiet. She pulled her legs up and rested her chin on her knees.

Gage huffed and nodded. “You see it. I see it. Some of’em who see it that way, they just go for broke. Gotta have it all, right now. The booze, the chems, gotta take what they can and just party their lives away. Hell, if they ain’t tryin’ to die, I’ll be shocked.” He took a deep breath, just carrying on. “Fuckin’ Raiders. They get so greedy, so damn desperate, so focused on what they can get now, they don’t plan ahead. Maybe they don’t give a shit. Who knows…”

Val spoke up. “You feel bad for’em?” Gage hadn’t noticed, in his ranting, that Val had scooted herself closer to him; they sat side by side now, little space between them.

“Nah. Got no sympathy for’em. They can do what they want, far as I’m concerned. Go on and get themselves killed.” Gage swallowed and looked away, feeling Val’s focus like it might smother him. “You and me though, we’re different. We know how to walk the line between takin’ what we deserve and getting out of control.”

“What do we deserve, Gage?”

That made him look at her again, look her right in the eyes. He felt words leave him for a moment, before he looked away again, up this time, to the overhang they camped beneath. “Whatever we want. Dunno about you, but I had this shit figured out early…” He talked about his parents, and leaving home when he was a kid. Val gasped, “Shit…You were _twelve?!_ ” and Gage just hummed in affirmation. “I just wanted to survive, to not live in fear like they did. Everywhere I went, any jobs I took, same thing happened. Raiders rolled on up, people just gave’em whatever they wanted. Didn’t take me long to figure out where I’d been headed all along. So, next time a gang came through, I joined.” He looked over to Val again, who watched him with wide eyes. “Runnin’ with you now, I figure, it’s all been worth it.”

Val smiled and nudged him with her shoulder. “Running together? Is that all we’re doing here?”

Gage felt his face heat up. He didn’t expect her to turn it around on him, and somehow missed her getting right up in his space like that. “Hell, boss, I dunno. One step at a time, alright?”

Snickering, Val nudged him again but didn’t press further. “You thought I was joking about date night, didn’t you? I totally stole that dress. And the tux.” She grinned and poked at the fire with a large splinter of wood.

“So now you’re gonna dress me up like some fine fancy gentleman?” Gage chortled, elbowing her back.

“Unless I find something better. We still have three more areas to scavenge. Might find you a cute little mascot outfit. Like a big teddy bear in the Safari Zone.”

Gage shoved her a bit, and Val rolled onto her side like a bowling pin. “God, I really will shoot you if you come at me with anything _cute_.”

Val snickered and sat up again, curling her legs in front of herself. “I think you’re cute enough, without a costume.”

“Oh god, boss…” He laughed, shaking his head. “Now I know you’re fucking with me.”

“Only a little.” Val sighed, but she was still smiling.

*****

“That’s when you started to feel something for her.” Piper sat outside Gage’s cell with a pad of paper and a pen. “When you realized you’re both survivors. I gotta admit, I wouldn’t have imagined it, but, getting to know _you_ better… I can see where you two are alike.”

Gage took a drag off the cigarette Piper had smuggled into him. He still didn’t like opening up to just anyone, but Piper just persisted, wouldn’t stop hounding him. And his fate was still up in the air, considering he hadn’t seen Val since she overthrew Nuka World. But, Piper’s relentless pestering and offers kept someone nearby, so at least he wasn’t _alone_ with his thoughts.

“I’m tellin’ you all this because you asked what she’s like. Might as well tell you how she worked me over. What she don’t show to you good people, how she… lied to me…”

“You made her laugh.”

Gage snorted dismissively. “Any moron can make Val laugh. She laughed at Mason every damn day. Took me too long to realize she had to be a smartass because the pressure to be serious might’ve caused her to snap.” Gage tapped some ash off the end of his cigarette and onto the floor. “I shoulda realized I was fucked when she told me about her husband…”

*****

“Nate was nice.”

Gage looked up from the map of Nuka World. Glyphs for the Operators and the Pack had been doodled over the Galactic Zone and Kiddie Kingdom, respectively. They had gone back to Nuka Town to resupply and heal up, after the robots had depleted all of their resources while they had been in the Galactic Zone. It was only through the grace of that damned Star Core system that they had escaped at all.

Val sat at the desk with Gage, in only her underwear and a Nuka World tee shirt. She had showered and cleaned all her wounds, but the Stimpak she used hadn’t healed up the ugly purple bruises Gage could see dotting every limb and part of her neck. He didn’t doubt that he looked the same under his clothes.

“Yer husband, right?”

“Yeah.” Val disassembled her rifle, cussing under her breath when the scope broke off. “Fucking robots…” She put the broken bolts aside as she continued to take the rest apart. “He was grade-A, all-American Boy Scout. He had no idea who I was, though.”

Gage leaned on his elbows, intrigued. “Who were you, Val?”

She glanced up at him and smirked. “To Nate, I was Valerie Smith, small town girl from Nebraska. Never saw a gun in my life, wouldn’t know how to shoot one to save my ass. I don’t know how much he believed.” Val drew her thumb over her face, across the pale scar that ran over the bridge of her nose and under her right eye. “Not with scars like these.”

Chancing a look, Gage spotted more on her bare legs, and not all of them were the straight lines of a knife. A particularly gruesome looking one decorated her left thigh in a pinkish blossom. It wrapped around her leg and disappeared under the hem of her tee shirt.

“Molotov,” Val offered, seeing where his eye wandered. “I was lucky to put it out. It might have ended my career. Hard to get to high ground if you’re missing a leg.”

Gage cleared his throat and focused on her face. “You mentioned retiring. What from?”

Val laid her gunstock on the table, with the rest of the parts. “Guess.”

“Sniper.”

“Give the man a prize.” She leaned back in her seat, picking up the broken scope and examining it. “The war hadn’t started, but the US was very interested in taking out certain communist party members who were… influential. I was one of the Psychos.”

Gage frowned. “Sounds like a shitty Raider gang to me.”

Val put down the part again and stood up. “Short for ‘psychopomp.’ Lot of us were named for, well… death gods.” She moved around to the tool chest by the desk and started rummaging through the drawers.

“Valkyrie,” Gage said, as realization dawned on him. “Wasn’t some nickname just-“

“Just my name. We didn’t exist. Technically, taking out party members behind most of the world’s back was high treason. Long story short, someone really thought he _was_ the bringer of death and started taking out US members he thought were too big for their britches.” Val found what she was looking for and returned to her seat.

“Valkyrie. Samedi. Fox. Jizo. Reaper. Anubis. Charon. There were more, but those were the ones I had crossed paths with. Samedi and I were actually trained by the same guy. I was a spy, Sam was ops. He could get in anywhere, like a damn ghost. I had to rely on my looks and my wits.” Val gestured to her face, all the scar tissue. “After getting caught and getting this all messed up, Angel – our handler – put me on sniper tasks. Worked for me.”

Gage shook his head and folded his arms over his chest. “Explains why you don’t strike me as the sweet little homemaker type.” He chuckled – no one would ever make that mistake if they saw Val fight.

Val put her feet up on the desk and leaned back in her chair. “Never was to begin with. I met Nate after I was forced into retirement, which meant I was basically fucked twelve ways from Sunday. No money, accounts were wiped, weapons gone. Just kicked out with my phony life in a folder. Valerie Smith, pleased to meet you, sir, can I get you a coffee?” Val wasn’t looking at him, staring off into the distance for a moment before snapping back to the present.

“That’s how I met Nate. He was a regular at a little shop I worked at. Didn’t think much of a woman with scars serving him coffee. Dating him at least got me out of a shitty apartment a couple times a week. Marrying him just seemed… I dunno. Normal. What I was supposed to do, since I was a civilian.”

“You just up an’ married him?” Gage shook his head again, lips curled in a sneer. “Seems like a stretch from what you had.”

“He knocked me up, first. And I liked him well enough. His family thought I was a gold digger, or something. Everyone in the neighborhood looked at me with disapproval. All the other ladies had their pretty little dresses and fake pearls.” Val huffed, her arms folded tightly over her stomach. “Good hair, dutiful _wives_ who thought Nate just pitied me. Maybe he did. I don’t know how long it was gonna last. He called me ‘beautiful,’ but I don’t know if I believed him. Might have just gone along with it-“

“Because it was what you were _supposed_ to do. That sounds like fuckin’ bullshit, boss.” Gage leaned forward on the desk, supported by his arms. “More I learn about the pre-war times, more I’m glad the world went to hell. What’s the point of sittin’ around doing fuck-all, just because it _looks_ good? Screw it.”

Valkyrie laughed, hollow and sad. “It’s been pretty well screwed, Gage. I think the war just… knocked the mask off a damn ugly world. You could pretend for a while, but when the bombs fell…”

“Good. I don’t think I could live a lie like that. You don’t seem like you could’ve, either.” Gage got up from his seat and leaned on the desk. “No disrespect to the man, but your husband should’ve gotten to know _Valkyrie_ ,” he pointed at her, “And not some good girl he thought you were. You deserve better than that.”

Val went quiet, and for a moment, Gage thought he had crossed a line. After all, she still wore their rings. And they had only just started running together. Flirting was fun and all but, she couldn’t be serious. She got up and circled the desk; Gage braced himself for a smack, or a threat. Instead, she put her arms around his waist.

Gage froze up, not used to someone just _hugging_ him out of nowhere. He slowly put his arms down and around her when he realized she wasn’t going away, probably waiting for him to reciprocate. When he embraced her back, he could feel Val relax against him. For a moment, he just stood there with her; she dropped her head into the nape of his neck.

“Val? You alright?” he murmured.

He could feel her nod, along with the telltale wetness of tears on his shoulder. Val sniffed, and Gage tensed up again. He didn’t know how to really console a person, let alone his _boss_ , and then he started to wonder when he’d even gotten so contented that he let her get that close, or why she would go to him for comfort-

“Porter?” Val’s voice stopped his thoughts from going off the rails. He leaned back enough to see her face before she tilted her head up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.” She put on a weak smile and shoved at his chest. “Now go take a shower. You smell like burnt robot.”

Just as she turned to let him go, Gage grabbed her by the wrist. He swallowed hard when she looked at him, her eyebrow raised in question.

“You’re welcome.”

*****

Piper’s voice was soft when she asked, “Why do you think she opened up to you like that?”

Gage sipped at the coffee Piper had brought him, numbness lingering all throughout his body at the shared memory. He licked his lips, trying to think of a reason, even something to be bitter about in his current state.

“Can’t say for certain. She just brought it up, outta the blue. Maybe because I told her I was a runaway. Maybe because she wanted my trust. Tit for tat… you know how it is.” Gage shuddered and scratched at his jaw. He hadn’t had a good shave in weeks; he figured he must look like Cito by then.

Piper shook her head and looked down at her notes. “I don’t know if I’ll use much of this,” she said. “Seems real personal.”

“You wanted to ‘know’ me.”

Leaning forward on her chair, she studied Gage through the bars of his cell. “What made you change your mind?”

“Felt like it. Might die in here, anyway. Seein’ as how I ain’t seen hide nor hair of her since she turned on us like that.”

Piper got up and folded her chair, pushing it off to the opposite side of the hallway. “You know why she did it.”

“I know she does what she wants, up until it makes her look like the bad guy. Then, she’s gotta go and play fuckin’ hero again. Wouldn’t have minded so much, if it ain’t torn down everything around me. If I ain’t felt… like shit afterwards.”

“Well, when she gets back, I’ll tell her to come see you. Maybe you two can have it out.”

Gage scoffed and shook his head. “I ain’t got any words for her. ‘Cept maybe ‘fuck’ and ‘you.’ I’m done.”

Piper sighed and threw her hands up. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Don’t need help from you.” Gage finished his drink and left the cup on the floor by the bars. When Piper reached for it, he snagged her wrist. Looking her in the eye, he hissed a warning to her. “I mean it. I don’t wanna see her again.”

Piper jerked her arm free and shrugged, scowling at him. “I can pass the message, but it’s like you said – she does what she wants. I can’t stop her from coming to see you.”

Gage retreated to the far end of his cell and took off his shirt. Night approached, and he was exhausted. “Supposin’ you can’t.” He paused, then turned to look over at Piper. “You know, there is one thing that really **sold** me on her bein’ a Raider. Maybe you’ll wanna print it, maybe you won’t.”

Piper stepped near the door, waiting for him to finish his thought.

Giving her a smirk, he sat on his bed, leaning back against the wall. “Said to me one night, when we were out in the park, hunkered down,” Piper gestured for him to get on with it. Stringing her a long a little made his smirk grow into a smile. “She says to me… ‘Porter, what’s the point of making people afraid of your arrival… when you can make them afraid to lose you?’ I thought she was just tryin’ to get me to see things her way. Maybe she really believes it.”

Stepping back from the cell, Piper shook her head. “No. That’s not Blue. She wouldn’t-“

“She lied to her own husband about who she was. What’s to say she had to be honest to get what she wants?” Gage chuckled, and waved Piper off. “Thanks for the smokes. Really hit the spot.”

“Prick. I don’t believe you.”

“Suit yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all who have been reading <3


	4. Southern Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the past, Val and Gage argued, now, he won't even speak to her.

“Well, if it ain't my favorite Overboss.” Gage pushed away from the door to the Fizztop Grille and stalked toward Valkyrie. He had heard she was finally coming back to Nuka World, and what he'd been hearing from Shank during her absence had made him unhappy. She had been gone for weeks, and now Val returned like nothing was wrong.

Valkyrie nudged him with her shoulder as she walked past him, heading inside and away from the burning sunlight above. “Gage, do you have to climb up my ass as soon as I get back?” she grumbled, nearly dropping her rifle as she took it from her shoulder. “What's eating you now?”

“What's eatin' me? You mean like you, bleedin' yerself dry for those shitty little settlers? Pussy-ass Minutemen who can't do a damned thing for themselves, but you've gotta go wipe their asses for them?”

Val all but punched the button for the elevator, not looking at Gage. “You sure you're not confusing them with Raiders?” she snapped, turning to scowl at him.

Gage's mouth shut with a click of his teeth. “The fuck are you on about?”

“The fact that all of the gangs here didn't do shit on their own until I came along. They didn't even kill Colter, and he was king Lazy Asshole. The only one who seemed to give a shit here was you!” She flipped him off as the elevator door started to shut. He grabbed the door before it closed and shoved it open, climbing in with her.

“The fuck did you say?”

Valkyrie pushed right up into his space. As tall as she was, they were nearly nose to nose. “I'm saying that I've been fucking busy taking care of people-”

“People who won't do the same for you,” Gage hissed.

Val's hands slammed on the wall, on either side of Gage's head. “Like no one here would shed blood for you. Seems we've both got a yoke on our necks, Porter. I take care of my own. Do what I want.”

Gage shoulder-checked Val and pushed her against the other side of the elevator, reversing their positions. He'd be damned if he'd let the goddamned Boss, General, anyone shove him around. “That's pretty damned obvious by now. You just let them hang you with their shit, sendin' you to handle their problems for'em.”

“Exactly like I did when I headed back to the Commonwealth for Mags and Mason. They can't take care of their own problems, gotta send the Boss to do it.” Valkyrie hissed back, her hands coming up to push Gage off when the elevator stopped with a sot 'ding' at the top floor. “You said yourself you knew who I was when I got here. And I'm still doin' the work everyone else won't fucking do, so what does it matter who I'm shedding blood for?”

Gage followed her out and shoved at her from behind, making Val stumble. “Because you're the Boss! You're...” Gage sneered and shook his head. “You're an embarrassment to Raiders everywhere.”

Val turned around and laughed, holding her stomach. “I don't give a shit. What does it matter if the settlers fear me? Why make them hate me when it's so much better to have them afraid to lose me? They don't have to be threatened to give me anything – they'll scrape whatever they can together just to keep me around.”

Gage opened his mouth and closed it again, stunned. “That – what do you mean?”

Valkyrie dropped her weapons on the desk, staggering over to her bed area and stripping off her armor. She hopped up and down, trying to remove her boots in a single pull. “When I was traveling with Preston, every settlement we stopped at – fuck.” Valkyrie dropped her foot, fell onto her bed, and lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Approaching slowly, Gage stepped up onto the platform. He stood over Val, looking at the state of her armor, how it was filthy and damaged, some parts likely in need of replacing. Her Vault suit was gone, replaced with a dark gray Brotherhood of Steel flight suit underneath. He breathed deep and slow, checking his anger before he did something stupid.

“What?” Val huffed, not looking at him.

“You were saying?” Gage knelt by the bed and started to unlace her boots. She sat up and leaned over him, putting her hands on the shoulders of his armor. He was still pissed, but her words had him curious about her racket. Seemed like she always had a way of luring him closer, even when he felt like he wanted to wring her neck.

Val's voice was quieter when she started speaking. “Wherever we stopped, people would donate to Preston and me. Caps, Stims, gear, food – a place to stay the night if that was all they had. Even when Preston stayed by the Castle, people began to recognize me, and they gave, still. Hell, even if Strong was with me, and he's a Super Mutant.”

Gage snorted and looked up at her after he got one boot off. “Why do you run with one'a those big idiots again?”

“Because he wants to Drink the Milk of Human Kindness. It's like, his thing.” Val shrugged and kicked her boot away. “I'm not gonna tell him it's a metaphor. I like being not-eaten.”

Scoffing, Gage started on the other boot. “So, you don't threaten or shoot'em, you just kill some other poor bastards, and settlers pay you for yer troubles? You really are a Merc with a Mission.”

Valkyrie pulled Gage's eyepatch off and cupped his face with her hands. He looked up; Val stroked the skin under his damaged eye, but her own were unfocused, thinking about God knows what. He felt like he was being examined, and the discomfort made him squirm a little. He broke eye contact and pulled her other boot off, moving away from the bed.

At least, he tried to. Val had snagged him by the front plate of his armor, keeping him from getting very far. She looked up at him again, still miles away in her head.

“What brought you back, Boss? Be straight with me.”

Val blinked, whatever had kept her focus away gone and she was back with him, there in the Grille. “You want me to be straight with you? You do remember how this relationship started, right?” She laughed, but it was hollow and almost dead sounding; Gage reached for his patch beside Val, so he didn't have to think about how the noise coming out of Val just then was wrong.

“I do what I want, Gage. But... I'm tired, too.” Valkyrie pulled on Gage's armor, falling back on the bed. Gage went down with her, barely catching himself on his hands before he crushed her. “Can you take this off?” she murmured, giving his armor a jostle.

“You wanna stab me in the back, Boss?” said Gage, but all his ire had subsided. Val did look tired, but not just for sleep – the words “frayed” and “fragile” came to mind, especially when he got up to fulfill Val's request. She sat up when he got to his feet, like she didn't want him getting too far away again. Watching her from the corner of his good eye, Gage shook his head.

His Boss was not delicate, but she looked ready to break. Her eyes were red-rimmed and watery, as though their argument had taken the last of whatever defenses she had left. He wanted to call her “pathetic” and tell her to get her head on straight, but he didn't have it in him. If Valkyrie was pathetic, what did that make him, as her right-hand man? What had it made him when he didn't stand up to Colter?

His silence did more talking for him than necessary. Val dropped her head down and rubbed at her face with one hand.

“I'm sorry,” Val said, just as he sat beside her. “I just...”

“Forget it. You do what you want. I just don't know how you think this is gonna end, Val.”

“Does it have to?”

“Once you finish assigning the parks to the gangs, they're gonna want to move out. You think you can balance Nuka World with the Commonwealth? What's more important to you?”

Valkyrie went quiet, and very still. Gage would have been lying if he had said he hadn't held his breath just then.

“Whoever wants to throw their lot in behind me. I take care of my own.” Valkyrie leaned back on her palms, stretching out her legs in front of her. “Raider, Brotherhood, Minutemen... I'd appreciate it more if they'd pull their own weight so I could take a goddamned nap, but... what can I do? I'm just one woman. I got friends, but...”

“But, what?” Gage asked.

Valkyrie wrapped her arms around his waist and before he knew it, Gage was on his back, with Val hooked onto his side like a leech. “But they're not you.”

“Aw, c'mon, Boss... I ain't special.” Gage chuckled. He reached over with the arm not pinned by Val and loosened up her hair tie. “You're just tryin' to make me lower my defenses.”

“Yes. So shut the fuck up so I can sleep.”

“You wanna sleep? Like this?” _With me?_ stuck in his throat.

“If you'd shut the fuck up, yeah. I missed you. Don't make me go into it.”

Gage lay flat, as best he could while they were crossways on the bed. He settled his hand on the crook of her elbow when Val draped her arm across his chest. It wasn't long before he felt her relax against him and Gage was left to wonder -

What the hell was this? What was he doing, letting the boss just... sleep on him like that? And why did he enjoy it?

 

Gage woke with a snort to the smell of something cooking. He sat up on Val's bed, feeling his spine pop as he moved, stretching and groaning with ache. He figured he must have been out for hours – the sun had begun to set over the mountains. He scooped up his eyepatch and put it back on, the metal cool on his face from being off for so long.

“Damn...” He got to his feet, glancing around the Grille area for Valkyrie. When it was clear that she was not in the main room, he went into the half he normally stayed in, following the smell into the kitchen. As he guessed, Valkyrie was leaning over the stove, stirring a pot of food. She had changed into some of the Nuka World gear she insisted on stripping off any given mannequin they passed, as long as it had been different from whatever she had taken already.

But, with her back to him, Gage regretted ever arguing with her, if only because he enjoyed the view. He shamelessly gave her backside a healthy once-over, then a second look before she spoke to him.

“You gonna stand there and watch, or are you gonna help out and grab a couple of bowls? Stew's about ready, and I'm hungry.”

Gage chuckled and fished out a couple of decent-looking bowls – ones that weren't too badly damaged, all things considered – and put them on the counter, with a couple of utensils, beside the stove. Leaning there himself, he folded his arms over his chest and watched.

“Smartass,” Val muttered, giving him a small smirk. She scooped up a spoonful of the stew and blew on it gently, then offered him the bite to try. “I promise it's not poisoned. Might be hot, though.”

Rolling his eye, Gage leaned forward, taking the spoon from her and trying the proffered sample. He licked his lips – and then the spoon – before handing it back to her.

“Not bad. Is that Brahmin?”

Valkyrie nodded and wiped the spoon down before using it to scoop out a sample for herself. “All the way from Finch Farm. They've got some wild ones that graze nearby, so they coaxed'em over with some Razorgrain and corn. Pretty much domesticated, not that the Brahmin give a shit.”

Gage put his hands on his hips. “So, this domestic crap is supposed to be some sort of lesson on your settlers 'doin' well for themselves?' So you can rub it in my face that this Minutemen thing is successful?”

“Oh, for Christ's sake, Gage...” Valkyrie pinched the bridge of her nose and shut off the stove. Shoving him aside with her elbow, she set the pot on the counter. The old Formica made an awful hiss when the hot metal fell on it, but she did not seem to care.

“Well?”

“Well, what? I'm fucking hungry.” Val picked up one of the bowls and scooped stew into it, shoving the bowl towards Gage's hest. “Doubt you've had much, either.” She looked down at her own bowl as she started to spoon out some for herself, stopping and dropping the ladle back in the pot. “I _was_ hungry,” she muttered.

Gage put his bowl down on the table and turned Val by one shoulder. “You tryin' to guilt me, Boss?”

“Oh my god. I was-- it's just...” She pushed his hand off and backed away. “I'm trying to apologize, dammit. I know you hate the Commonwealth and you think all the settlers are cowards and pushovers and that it's your job – or whatever – to make everyone else's life miserable- and that you wanna just take every damn thing over like-” Valkyrie spoke quickly, so much that Gage had a hard time keeping up until he interrupted.

“Val. Eat.” He picked up the first bowl and handed it to her. She scooped up the empty one and held it out.

“Only if you eat with me. Jackass.”

Gage conceded and helped himself to the stew, content to just stand there and eat by the counter. He didn't want to admit that it was actually pretty good – especially measured against the crap they usually scrounged at the park – and that he felt ready to eat the whole pot, including Val's share.

Valkyrie, however, took him by the wrist and dragged him into the other room, to the table partially occupied by his terminal and other junk. She pushed away just enough so they'd have space to eat together on one side, then took a seat, gesturing for him to follow.

“I thought you didn't like this whole 'happy homemaker' shit, Boss?” he asked, moving one of the chairs over to sit beside her.

Val rolled her eyes and turned away from him, digging into her meal. “We're not exactly happy, are we?”

Gage nearly choked on a chunk of carrot. Managing to swallow it, he sat and rubbed at his eye, hoping Val hadn't caught him gagging like that. Embarrassing.

“I dunno, Val. First thing we do when you come back is fight.”

“ _You_ picked a fight. I wanted to take a nap. I get cranky when I don't have my nap.”

Gage chuckled and stirred his food, stalling. “I'll keep that in mind,” he said, finding a bit of meat and scooping it up. “So, this whole... General thing...”

“Please, don't start-”

“Just a question, boss... does it really...? Do folks honestly just up an' give you their shit?”

Valkyrie huffed and nodded. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned on the table for support. “They do. It's business, to me anyway. You don't call it 'Merc work' in front of people, they think they've had a hero come rescue them in their time of need. Best thing to come from it was taking down the Institute with a small army, instead of trying to go it alone...”

Gage watched her profile while she spoke, noting that she seemed to be talking more out loud than really to him. “Made you a big shot hero, though. Minutemen, Brotherhood, folks all over call you one.”

“I'm no hero. I'm not even sure taking down the Institute was the right move. It was just... the only option left.”

“Can I ask why?”

Valkyrie turned and looked up at him. That “fragile” look was back; her eyes were red and glassy, her brow furrowed. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and for a second, Gage thought she wouldn't answer. Not that he could have blamed her when she did.

“The director of the Institute was my son, Shaun. I thought, when I found him, he'd still be a little boy, at least, but... They raised him to be a man of science. He didn't care about people. Just 'redefining the human condition.'” Val's spoon clattered in her bowl and she put her head in her hands. She was shaking, and Gage just sat there, frozen up. “I don't know that all he was doing was so bad, but... people were afraid, Gage. Afraid of what my kid had created. What he wanted me to take over. I couldn't do it.” She started to breathe heavily, and it broke into sobs, godawful sounds that shook her whole body.

Gage reached over and grabbed her seat, pulling it and her closer to him. In his mind, as he pulled Val close and put his arms around her, he thought: _This, this is it! This is what you were looking for, idiot! The Commonwealth took her baby boy from her and cornered her, made her kill him for them, to choose them over family! Tell her! Tell her you'll help burn it all down! She can take revenge!_

No words came out, however. Not encouragement or reassurances. No hollow promises or plots. Val held onto him until she was all cried out. Their food had gone cold, but he doubted Val had any appetite left after that. She just pulled away from him when she was done, muttering pointless apologies to him and wiping her eyes.

“Val, don't. I... get it. Can't win for losin', am I right?”

Valkyrie nodded and looked up at him. She touched his face with one hand. God, help him, but he turned his face toward her palm. He felt himself smile a little, and she managed to return it.

“You need a shave, Porter. You're starting to get all fuzzy.”

Gage just laughed. “What, you don't like it?”

Val stuck her tongue out and pulled away from him, going back to her cold stew. “I like stubble, but not beards.”

“I'll try to remember that.” Gage shifted on his seat and poked at his dinner, wanting to muster up something to say. “You gotta big heart, Boss. I ain't sure you should take it as a compliment, but, well... there you have it.” He cleared his throat and got up, leaving to the kitchen again and producing a couple of bottles of Cola.

“I shouldn't give a shit, I know. Nothing's really left for me, now. I mean… I have friends. Codsworth. Dogmeat.” She popped off the cap to her bottle and left it on the table. “Doesn't make sense, being able to blow someone's head off and still try to be a good person, does it?”

“Not really, no. But, you do what you want. Take what you want... if you know what it is that you want.”

Val huffed again and picked meat from her bowl, pulling it apart with her fingers and eating it in small bits as she talked. “I can't give up. That's not an option. The Brotherhood basically kicked me out, not that I particularly liked Elder Maxson anyway. The Minutemen are rebuilding enough that they don't really need me to lead them – and don't start with the 'let's kick their asses' thing right now. Still trying to decide on...” she gestured to indicate Nuka World with a twirl of her index finger. “...All this. You're about the only thing I really like, so far.”

Gage scoffed and leaned back in his seat, holding onto his drink. “You're a difficult woman to understand.”

Valkyrie chuckled and glanced his way. “Don't put yourself down so much, Porter. I like you because you seem to actually listen. And you got a mind to think things through instead of this reckless kamikaze crap some people pull. 'S'why I promised to give you my ear, if you need it.”

Gage looked toward her and frowned, trying to wrap his head around her reasoning. When he didn't respond, Valkyrie sighed and licked stew broth from her fingers.

“It means you know what it's like to talk and not be heard. Colter didn't listen. Your parents didn't seem to give a fuck. The gang leaders don't seem to care.” Val got up from her seat and stood between his legs; once again, she cupped his face with both hands, one thumb caressing his cheek while the other played over his lips.

“Am I supposed to believe you do?” Gage asked, his voice a dry whisper.

Valkyrie sighed and pressed her forehead to his. Taking a deep breath, she murmured to him, words rolling across his lips, so close, yet without direct contact. “Oh sweetie, if I didn't care, you'd be dead by now.”

*****

“Thirty-eight... thirty-nine... forty... forty-one... forty-two...”

“Hate to interrupt your little workout, man, but Preston says it's your bath time. And I'd appreciate cooperation because I'd really hate to have to chain you down for your flea dip.”

Gage stopped his sit-ups at forty-five, leaning an arm on his raised knees to give the Minuteman at the door a good look. The voice was different and the man wore sunglasses indoors. But, he had the same crappy get up, including the dumbass militia hat... Gage got to his feet and swept his shirt from the floor.

“Great. Is the dry cleaning service gonna come pick up my things? I'd hate to come back to sleep on unclean linens,” Gage spat. He threw his shirt over his shoulder and strode to the door. “You some new recruit on bitch duty, or did you just pull the short straw today?”

“Honestly, I couldn't give two shits less about your personal hygiene, but since the bo- the _General_ is coming back to the Castle soon, I figured it would be nice to give her pet Raider a hose down, make sure she knew he was getting top quality care here at the Kennel.”

Gage frowned and leaned against the bars. He looked the Minuteman up and down; he looked the part, but the attitude and general cockiness were off for a grunt used to taking orders. He gestured for the man to come closer, but instead, he just shook his head.

“No can do, pal. I know you're a top priority prisoner, and I'd hate to ruin things between me and Val by breaking your face if you tried something funny to bust yourself out.” The Minuteman smirked and gave Gage a thumbs up. “Good try, though.”

“You called her 'Val.' Not many of you sheep refer to her by name, not even Garvey, and he's a little kiss-ass.” Gage put his shirt on and stepped away from the door. “So, who are you, really?”

“Nobody important. Not to you, anyway. You gonna cooperate or what?”

Gage stuck his arms through the bars. “Cuff me and lead me away, then. Don't wanna disappoint the boss, now, do we?”

Scrubbed up, given clean clothes – though the same sort of tee and sweatpants without a drawstring – Gage sat back in his bunk an hour later. Damp, grumpy, and still left with nothing but his thoughts while he waited for his midday meal. It felt like he was going to die of boredom with this routine. Wake up, eat, do nothing, eat, do nothing, eat, do nothing until sleep. Maybe jerk off, if a particularly _good_ memory wouldn’t leave him be. Only in the last couple of weeks had he added 'working out' to his day. Piper had not returned since he had told her Val's words – good riddance, anyway. Even if it meant no more smokes, it was a sacrifice worth making if it meant she wasn't going to needle him for any more stories.

Still... being alone most of the time felt like suffocating without something to do. Silence was so much worse when the only voice you'd hear was your own.

However, he could have accepted silence, or even Piper, if he didn’t have to hear Valkyrie’s voice again.

Porter Gage was not that kind of lucky.

An hour after he was returned to his cell, the door swung open. Valkyrie herself strode in like she owned the place. Garvey was a step behind her, a stormy expression across his mug. Another guy, broad shouldered and looking like a shining example of a pre-war soldier, walked in beside Garvey, outfitted with common clothes.

Even with the squeeze to his heart, Gage sat up on his bunk, giving Val a once-over. She wore the kit for the Minutemen general, even that stupid-ass hat that went with it. She gestured for the other men with her to hold back, so that they guarded the door.

True to his word with Piper, Gage didn’t say anything when she approached, just jerked his head away when she saw fit to hold up his face like she was examining it. At his withdrawal, Val ‘tsked’ over him, clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth.

“You need a shave,” she said, sighing over him. She pulled off a glove and rubbed it over the top of his head and the new growth there. Again, he drew back, turning his face away so he didn’t have to look at her. “And a haircut. I always kind of like the ‘hawk. Unless you’d like to grow it out. You’d have the whole ‘hermit in a cave’ look going for you. Get it long enough and you’ll look like Cito in no time.”

When he didn’t respond, Valkyrie crouched in front of him, in his line of sight. He just shut his eye and tilted his head back, not wanting to give her the satisfaction.

“I hear you’ve been telling stories about me, Grumblebee. You’ve got Piper worried, you pissed off Preston, and Deacon thinks my taste is terrible. I almost broke his nose for that.” She put her gloveless hand on his knee, and he chose to glare at her for touching him.

“I still care about you. That’s why you’re here.” Val turned and gave the men with her a nod.

The bigger man restrained Gage while Preston cuffed his hands behind his back. Gage offered no resistance, no expression on his face or any more words to any of the three of them. Once they had his hands secured, Garvey left and returned moments later with a chair; Valkyrie had backed off, watching the big fella muscle him into the chair, his arms draped over the back.

“Thank you, Preston, Danse. I’ll take it from here.”

Garvey, of course, spoke up. “Are you sure, General? We can stand by and-“

“Dude, you’re really gonna do this? Seriously?” Val scoffed and shook her head. “I can handle him. If not, well… you’re in charge and don’t let Deacon touch my stuff.”

“Valkyrie, I understand your desire to handle things on your own, but I also understand you have a …weakness,” said the other man, whom Gage assumed was Danse. Danse glowered in Gage’s direction; Gage, in turn, pretended like the wall beside him was the most interesting thing in the room.

Valkyrie sighed and took both men by the elbows, leading them away from the cell. They stayed there long enough for Preston to lock the door again and Val carried on.

“Both of you are in the naughty corner. I want a five-hundred word essay on my desk tomorrow morning on why you’re both sorry for doubting—“ her voice trailed off to the sounds of objection over Val’s ridiculous request.

She came back shortly after, alone, carrying a tray and a towel over her arm. The General’s outfit was stripped down, now. No coat, no armor, no hat or gloves… just the trousers – and the tank that Gage used to wear under his own armor.

Gage sat up and sneered at Val. He wanted her to know he wasn’t happy that she saw fit to wear his things again, like nothing had ever gone so fucking **wrong** between them. He could only imagine what had happened to the rest of his kit, but she damn well _knew_ better than to wear his shirt again. After she turned on him, cost him Nuka World, everything he’d worked for...

As soon as she got close enough, Gage spat at her feet. Val frowned and put the tray down on the bed. Gage could see now that she carried a bowl of water, a switchblade razor, an unmarked silver bottle, and soap. She moved behind him and tied the old towel around his neck; he swallowed hard when the fabric pressed just a little too tightly on his Adam’s Apple until it loosened again.

“Gonna give me the silent treatment for real, huh?” Val asked, moving to her tray of sundries. She worked up some lather with the soap and rubbed it all along Gage’s jaw. “Getting harder to find real shaving cream, but you managed with just a knife, right? Just don’t wriggle too much, and I won’t cut you.”

Gage snorted and shook his head, looking away from her.

“I see.” Val opened the razor and moved behind him. Out of his line of sight, Gage felt his heart start to race, as she pulled back his head, exposing his throat. He tightened his arms and stomped his feet; The razor clattered to the tray as Val pushed on his shoulders to stop him from moving.

“Take it easy! I promised I’d take care of you, and I am,” she said. Grabbing the blade again, Val moved to sit on his lap, straddling his legs. “Besides, you know I’m not the up-close type. I never did like the Disciples,” she added. She squeezed his legs with her thighs as she began to work, carefully moving the razor over his face. “I don’t even like keeping you _here_ ,” she continued, her voice quieter now, even though it was just the two of them. “I’d rather have you at my side again. Val and Gage.”

When Gage didn’t say anything, Val sighed and reached away to rinse the blade, then resumed her task. Her free arm moved up against his neck, keeping him from struggling.

“I know you hate talking about feelings. Even though you probably know more about me than most people alive right now.” Val scraped away at his face, continuing to talk. “I know you told Preston about the fever blossoms. He tried to ask my opinion on flowers and, well… He’s the most un-subtle person I’ve ever met, and that’s counting _Strong_.” She chuckled at her own joke and carried on. “You told Piper what I told you about Nate not knowing me. I don’t care that she knows, but I _do_ care that you remembered.” She paused, rinsing the blade again. “When you told me about your parents, I felt honored… and surprised, that you’d open up to me.”

Gage tried to tune her out, did his best to keep calm since she had a blade to his throat and he was ready to die. Ready for the slice, to feel his life slipping away while he choked on his own blood. However, it didn’t come. He did jump when she nicked his jaw, but she swore, apologized profusely, and held the towel up to the injury, waiting until it stopped to continue.

When she was done, she sat back on his lap and admired her handy work, turning his head from side to side. He shut his eyes, waiting for her to get on with it.

“That’s so much better. I like you cleaned up.”

He could feel her breath over his lips and her weight shifted on his thighs as she leaned in closer. Opening his eyes again, Gage saw only the blurred image of her face so close to his, hesitant and waiting. She held his face with both hands, but not in restraint. Shaking his head, Gage pulled his lips into his mouth so she couldn’t kiss him.

“That’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” Valkyrie’s voice was soft and strained. She sat back enough so he could see her clearly; he hated that he felt _guilty_ at the look on her face, as if he was the one to blame. They **had** Nuka World, but she still chose to stick with the Minutemen.

Valkyrie got off his lap and stepped away, rubbing her hand over her mouth and looking away from him. She took the towel off his shoulders and picked up the tray, placing everything by the cell door. Turning back, she came over to where Gage sat and touched his face.

“Nothing? Not a word?” she asked, stroking her thumb over his fresh-shaven face. She cleared her throat and sniffled, taking a few steps back. “I’m gonna be gone for a few weeks. Got some business up in Maine. I’d take you with, but… well…” she gestured at him, in his current state. “You’re a bit tied up.”

Gage snorted and rolled his eye. When he didn’t say anything still, Valkyrie turned to the cell door and picked up everything to leave.

“Val.”

She stopped and turned, looking hopeful. He just smirked.

“Go fuck yourself.”

Valkyrie laughed and shook her head. “Go to hell, Porter.” After that, she left, and he was stuck in a silent cell, handcuffed on a chair. Getting up and getting his arms in front of himself again wasn’t the hard part, it was thinking about what had just happened between them.

Gage wanted to hate Val, he really did. Just like Connor, he wanted to storm up and shoot that bitch in the face for costing him everything, but really… what was gone? A bunch of Raiders who didn’t like him anyway. A handful of Traders who probably would shoot him if they knew he was still alive. A run down theme park, where they had met.

“God damn it.” Gage turned and kicked the chair away. It slid a foot away and tipped over with a clatter. Sighing, Gage sat back down on his bed with his head in his hands. He wasn’t a praying man, but he hoped he could get through this shit and get the hell out of the cell.

It was just too damn quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this back-and-forth style isn't losing people. Thank you for reading!


	5. Gorilla Warfare and Ghost Recon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage and Val's misadventures in Safari Adventure and the Grandchester Mystery Mansion; Val sends a message to Gage.

“Gage.”

“No.”

“Gage, please.”

“I said, _no_.”

“Gage, **please** look at this baby monkey.” Valkyrie held up the small gorilla, or rather, _ghoul-_ rilla, as the little primate had no nose and solid black eyes like human ghouls did. It was not feral; in fact, the damned thing had climbed up Val’s leg and hugged her as if she was its mama.

Which was why Gage was staying _the hell away_ from it.

“Val, why are you holding that?” Gage asked, deliberately keeping the right side of his face to her so he could not see the face Val was giving him. He knew it was puppy eyes. She did the same thing when she found the Nuka Girl costume – and suggested _he_ try it on. That was another battle she lost, but this was significantly harder. It was _kinda_ cute, what he had seen of it before it scaled Val like a tree. Not that he’d tell Val.

Gage huffed and folded his arms over his chest. “It’s gonna give you all sorts of rads the longer you hang on to it.”

“Which is why I want you to _look_ , Porter. As Overboss, I command you to look.”

Gage chuckled and shook his head, giving in. Val held the little gorilla right up to his face, prompting him to jump back when the thing lifted its arms. However, it was not far enough. The gorilla sprang out of Val’s grip and latched itself around Gage’s neck like a twenty-pound noose.

“Oh my GOD!” Val covered her mouth and doubled over, laughing hysterically. “I wish I had a camera!” she shrieked, almost bent in half while she laughed at him.

Cito, bless his heart, came over and pried his “sibling” from Gage’s neck while his face bloomed with heat.

“Little sister. No jump on new friends,” Cito admonished, placing the gorilla back on the ground where she loped over to Val again. Val was sitting on the floor, her face in her hands, still shaking with laughter. She paused long enough to wipe tears from her eyes, look up at Gage, then it started all over again.

The gorilla baby sat beside Val, mimicking the way her hands were over her face, grunting with noise that made Gage feel like the damned thing was laughing at him, too.

“Cito, ya mind telling us what the hell you need before my Boss laughs herself to death?” Gage snarled, turning to the large jungle man they had accidentally befriended.

Cito smiled and nodded. The guy smiled a _lot_ , and Gage normally wouldn’t trust that, except the kid actually seemed pleased to have other humans in his company. He explained about the “monsters” that they had already killed one of, and picked Val up off the floor when the other members of his ape family started to surround her in their curiosity.

A zip of jealousy shot through Gage at seeing Val handled by their new host like that. He cleared his throat and gestured to Val. She joined him, and the space between her and Cito calmed Gage’s envy before it got too bad. No need to deck Tarzan when he probably had no idea what he was getting his ass beat for.

“You done laughin’ now, boss? Sounds like we got mutant Deathclaws to deal with. And probably more ghouls, if this nonsense about the ‘wrinkly man’ means what it probably means,” Gage muttered, pulling Val aside and stepping between her and Cito.

“It could also mean a _really_ old dude,” Val suggested, smirking at him. “But, you’re right. That thing out there was no regular gator.”

“Obviously.”

Val poked him in the chest. “Don’t interrupt.” Val paused and looked over her shoulder. Gage followed suit and looked over at Cito; the ghoul-rillas had circled together, and Cito grunted and gestured at them, communicating, somehow. “We’re gonna help,” she whispered, and Gage ran his hand over his face.

“Well, we gotta clear out the park somehow,” he conceded. “May as well ask monkey-boy if he’s got any idea where to start…”

 

Halfway through their first night found Gage, Cito and Val holed up in the center of a hedge maze. Gage had to hand it to Cito: the kid had the maze memorized and had saved their asses when a mutant Deathclaw – or ‘Gatorclaw’ as Val dubbed them – chased them inside. Fortunately, it couldn’t climb trees, but that had them pinned up in the miniature bar while they had to figure out a plan.

“-for the last time, Gage, I don’t wanna drop a grenade on it. Unless we get lucky and it catches it in its mouth, it’ll hardly do shit,” Val said. “That’s _if_ it doesn’t just bounce off its fucking skull.”

“You’ve shot one already,” Gage argued. “They’re not invincible.”

Cito pointed to his own head. “Side of monster face softer. Why Cito hit with board. Cito not use guns. Kill another before friends show up, save Cito.” He nodded to them, confident in his strength.

“Well, it’s still gonna be a hard shot to make,” Val replied, checking her gun. “I’d have to catch it upside down. Like, if you two held me by my legs.”

Gage sighed and shook his head. “Can’t we wait for it to give up? Deathclaws usually take off after a while.”

“If they lose the scent, I think, but I’m pretty sure that one knows we’re here.” Val closed the chamber of her rifle and leaned into Gage’s side. Gage shifted and draped his arm over Val’s shoulders; she smiled and pushed in closer.

They huddled up in a booth, Cito on one side, Val and Gage on the other. The glassless window next to the table gave them a good view of the park in the waxing daylight, but the Gatorclaw never entered their sight. They could hear it stomping around beneath, trying to get a bead on their whereabouts.

“What if Cito lures it away? He can climb better than we can.” Gage suggested, and promptly earned an elbow to the ribs. “Well! I didn’t hear you comin’ up with a plan, Boss.”

Cito had looked up at hearing his name and nodded. “Cito can run fast.”

Val shook her head. “No. No one’s gonna become bait. Distracting it could work, if we had something to draw its attention away, like rocks or something.” She sighed and leaned toward the window, away from Gage. “I really don’t wanna end up like the poor bastards who died here before us.”

Gage scoffed. “Agreed.”

Without a word, Cito got up from his spot and headed down to the lower level of the treehouse. Below them, they could hear metal clanking around. Gage got up and shuffled out of the booth, Val right behind him. Just as they made it to the first level, Cito piled a handful of large tokens into Gage’s arms.

“Metal disks. Shiny and noisy,” said Cito, smiling wide. “Throw around monster, make monster lost.”

Val picked up a Cappy’s Treehouse Official Park Medallion off the pile and examined it. She mirrored Cito’s grin and dropped the token with a “plink” into Gage’s hands again.

“Cito, you’re a goddamned genius,” she said, reaching up to give Cito a hug. Cito blushed and looked away, damn near _giggling_ at the praise.

The flare of envy swept through Gage briefly again, so he hefted the pile of tokens and moved toward another glassless window at the edge of the treehouse. Behind him, Gage could hear more tokens being dispensed and Val instructing Cito.

“You throw these around the monster,” she said. “So that way it gets confused and turns around. When it does, I’ll get it with my gun. Got it?”

“Yes. Cito throw disks. Monster turn. Val-kree kill monster,” Cito repeated, confirming the plan before joining up with Gage, holding his own token pile. He nodded to Gage, and for a moment, Gage felt like a real asshole for getting jealous over the kid.

Stuffing down that feeling to be examined _never_ , Gage started, pitching a token into the maze below. He could hear the Gatorclaw stop, and guessed it must be listening. Nodding to Cito, he threw another one, Cito following his lead.

Above, he could hear Val getting into position, the familiar sound of her rifle being loaded as she made herself ready. Gage started to scatter his throws, Cito following behind, and sure enough, the Gatorclaw started to stomp away from them, following the sounds and the reflections as dawn caught the tokens in flight.

Just as his token pile fell to single digits and Cito had pitched the last of his own, Val’s rifle sounded. Ahead of them, the Gatorclaw’s head exploded in a visceral fountain. Gage sighed in relief as the body collapsed, giving them a chance to get out now.

“Val-kree did it!” Cito shouted.

Gage turned around to see Val in a bone-crushing hug from Cito, pulled up just to the tips of her toes. Before he could make a smart-ass remark, however, Cito turned that embrace on him, scooping under his armor’s spikes and lifting Gage clean off his feet.

Once again, Val fell over laughing at his expense.

“Gage-friend, we did it!” Cito exclaimed, shaking him happily.

“Yeah, yeah, now put me down! I ain’t a rattle!”

 

It took them almost a week to clear out all of the Gatorclaws, find the machine that was producing them, and shut it down. The last of the “monsters” left was hidden in a bear cave at the back of the park, and when Val killed the beast, she went an extra mile to stomp on its head, getting her boots covered in gore and brain matter.

Gage promised himself to not make Val _truly_ angry with him.

The morning of their last day, Val pulled Cito aside. Gage almost worried that Cito might give them a hard time about the Pack moving into the new territory, but to his – and Val’s – relief, Cito was excited to meet new people. Gage hated to admit the kid had grown on him, especially when Cito dove in front of a Gatorclaw that tried to swipe at Gage on his blind side.

“You want me to stay with you and introduce you to the Pack? I’m sure they’ll love your family,” Val said, her hand on Cito’s shoulder.

“Cito need to make friends on own. Cito want to talk to more people, but Cito shy.”

Val smiled up at him and gave him a hug. “You’ll do fine, big guy. And if you need me, just ask for the Boss. If they don’t wanna help, you come find me at Fizztop, you hear?”

Cito returned her hug with a pop of Val’s spine. Gage bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing at the pained grunt that came out of Val. When Cito turned his attention to Gage, Gage backed out of reach and held out his hand.

“Ain’t been much of a hugger, but, uh… shake on it?” Gage suggested. He wished he had taken the hug. Cito worked his arm like he was trying to start a water pump. “Alright, take it easy. I need that arm to keep Val safe.”

“Yes. Keep arm. Keep Val-kree safe. Val-kree keep Gage safe,” said Cito, smiling wide enough to make Gage’s face hurt just to look at it. He let go and shook the feeling back into his fingers, glancing over at Val. Val grinned at him as she leaned backwards, cracking her back after Cito’s bone-crushing embrace.

 

As much not-fun as the week had been, Gage considered he might actually miss their new friend. Cito was a good kid; even if he had trouble remembering not _everyone_ was built like a brick shithouse. As they headed off through the gates toward Nuka Town, Gage dropped an arm across Val’s shoulders.

“You gonna make it, boss? I think I heard a few bones break back there,” he teased.

Valkyrie smirked and grabbed his hand, keeping Gage close while they left. “I’m surprised you still have that arm attached. Thought it was gonna come off you like an old action figure.”

Gage chuckled and squeezed his arm around Val’s neck, just a little to show that he still had strength in it. “Baby, nothin’s gonna pop this arm off that easy,” he said, letting go and shoving her aside. After a week of dealing with mutant Deathclaws and coming out on top, Gage felt a little light on his feet. Surviving shit like that would give anyone a high.

He got about three yards away before he realized Val wasn’t following. Turning around, Gage shouldered his rifle and looked back at Val. She just stood there, smiling at him, hands on her hips, the picture of triumph.

“What?” Gage asked. A solid minute of her just grinning at him like a Disciple with a new knife had him just as uneasy.

“You called me ‘baby.’ Not ‘boss.’ Not even ‘Val.”’

Gage clamped his mouth shut and thought back over their conversation, realizing what he’d said just moments ago. Val looked like she’d beaten the Gauntlet all over again, victorious and gleeful to a peculiar degree.

“I… yeah? So what?” Gage defended, turning away from her to continue back to Nuka Town. “It’s just a word!” he said, marching away. Val nearly tackled him from behind, her arms around his waist. They stopped dead, halfway between Nuka Town and Safari Zone.

“It’s a term of endearment! You DO like me!” Val cackled, pressing her face into the back of his neck. “All that grumpy bitching and complaining. Just an act!” She lowered her voice and murmured into his ear. “So, were you jealous of Cito?”

Gage sighed and turned around, Val loosening her grip on his waist for him to do so. Unshouldering his rifle, he took Val’s face in both hands. Her smile dropped and her eyes widened, looking up to him with a little pink in her face.

 _Good_ , Gage thought, happy to have **her** off her guard for a change. He thumbed over her bottom lip; to hear her breath stutter was just _delightful_. Tilting her face up and leaning down just enough, Gage whispered, right against her lips.

“You fucking _wish_ ,” and let Val go. He backed up and out of her reach with a laugh, watching the emotions play over her face. Disappointment, confusion, finally near-cartoonish fury as she caught up in the few seconds where Gage escaped.

“You asshole!” Val shouted, storming after him. “I thought you were gonna kiss me!”

Picking up his pace, Gage turned and started jogging. “Doesn’t that mean _you_ like _me_ , Boss? I mean, you were the one gettin’ all flustered and blushin’ over gettin’ kissed by li’l ol’ **me**.”

“Don’t you layer on that southern charm you yellow-assed prick!” He could hear Val starting to run after him, and he picked up the pace. “Get back here so I can beat your ass for that!”

“What? This ass? I thought you liked it!” Gage laughed, banking hard away from Nuka Town. He meant to just lead her on a little bit of a goose chase, and then let her have the win, but before he realized it, they were headed in the direction of the Grandchester. Not that Gage believed the stories, but no Raiders wanted a part of it. Superstitions were a bitch like that.

Val’s run faded into a jog, and Gage had slowed to a walk. Once she got up to his side, she elbowed him in the ribs, moving ahead to read the sign they came upon.

“The Grandchester Mystery Mansion?” Val read aloud. Checking her Pip-boy, the map pinged with the location marker, indicating that she had already added it to her data. “Looks like a piece of shit rich guy house.”

Gage caught his breath and came to stand beside her, looking up at the sign. “Yeah, there’s rumor of some shit goin’ down here, traders trying to come through up and vanishing. Supposedly, it’s haunted but… I dunno, boss. It’s not even that big a place, compared to the rest of the park.”

“Is that a kid?” Val shielded her eyes from the sun, looking up at the mansion. She pointed toward a window, and Gage followed her line of sight. Sure enough, there looked to be a little girl looking out at them. “Someone’s inside.”

Before Gage could reply, a mechanical voice caught their attention. A Protectron shambled out from behind a ticket booth, clunking towards them.

“Welcome, to the Grandchester Mystery Mansion!” it announced, warbling its voice for extra spookiness. Gage rolled his eye and glanced toward the window again. The kid was gone.

“Would you like to take a tour? Only ten dollars to enter, and be amazed, horrified and thrilled!” the Protectron said, continuing with its sales pitch. “We have the real cane of Hannibal Grandchester! See where little Lucy tortured small animals! Find the séance room, where Morticia Grandchester learned her daughter was possessed – _By Satan Himself!_ ”

Val snorted and shook her head. “Hey, I’m an employee. I get in for free.”

The Protectron faltered, shuffling on its big tin feet for a moment before responding. “Yes, of course, all employees of the Nuka Cola Corporation get in free. Please, proceed. But, beware!”

Valkyrie grinned and grabbed Gage by the elbow. “C’mon, let’s check it out. It’ll probably be fun!”

 

“This is bullshit!” Val growled, two hours later. They were in the gift shop of the Grandchester, but there wasn’t even anything worth taking from the safe behind the counter. Val kicked the head of the Assaultron they had encountered across the floor.

They had dealt with trick doors, flame traps, grenade bouquets, a handful of Mr. Gutsys and hacked Mr. Handys, and then a room that had _literally_ burst into flames around them. The gas in the séance room went quickly, and it was only through sheer luck that they had somehow **not** died yet. All of this nonsense, and nothing to show for it. Gage turned around and shot the speaker overhead that looped the recording of the tragic story of the Grandchester family.

“Did pre-war folk actually _like_ these kinds of places?” he asked, satisfied when they had a moment of quiet.

“Haunted houses back in the day could be fun,” Val said, slumping on a stool behind the counter. “But they weren’t littered with so many fucking traps. If that little girl set all this, I’m giving her to the Disciples. She’ll fit right the fuck in.”

“Y’know, that girl in the front room, I ain’t seen her since we got in. There’s gotta be an alternate passage, maybe for employees to sneak up on folks,” Gage reasoned, leaning on the counter top.

Val grumbled and got to her feet. “Well, whatever it is, I’m gonna shoot someone and get the fuck out of here. I can’t even pick the locks!”

“Seein’ you frustrated by a bad pick loses its charm after the first six times,” Gage agreed. The whole house appeared to be designed to keep people moving ahead; none of the doors opened the other way. Considering it was now an amusement attraction, there was probably a control room that had an emergency switch, but so far, they hadn’t found it.

“Well, the only way out is forward, I guess. Maybe there will be a goddamned window we can jump from. Might only break one limb,” Val grunted. She led the way to the back of the gift shop and kicked in the door.

Immediately, they were met with a fire fight. Two against one, they managed to take on the rogue Gunner and end him, but not without a few more scrapes to add to their running total. Once he was dead, Val slumped onto the bed shoved to one side.

“Fucking asshole,” she growled. She pulled off the chest plate to her armor and fell onto her back, laid out across the mattress. She threw an arm over her face to block out the light.

Bloody and exhausted, Gage sat heavily right beside her, lighting up a cigarette. “I say we firebomb this place when we get out. Just burn it down,” he grumbled. Val blindly patted at his back.

“I agree, but first, we get the kid out and make sure we get anything worth taking. I’m not leaving here empty handed. Not after all this shit,” Val said, talking from under her arm.

Gage flicked ashes off the end of his smoke and took another drag. “We sure she’s still here? She might have given us the slip.”

“There’s no way backwards. We would have run into her. We’ve opened up every other door we’ve come across.”

“Cept for those two,” Gage said. Valkyrie sat up beside him and looked; one door was set into the wall farthest from the bed. The door to the gift shop still hung open where Val had kicked it in. Another was right next to the bed.

Val sighed and pulled her chest plate back on. “Might as well check them out. Then, we rob the place and leave.”

Gage drew off the last drag of his cigarette and dropped it, stamping it out under his boot. “Sounds like a better plan than ‘it’ll be fun.”

“Oh, shut up.” Val pulled out her pin and screwdriver, getting to work on the door. Once it came open, Val took point, heading up first. Gage made sure his gun was loaded and followed right behind her.

Unlike the rest of the mansion, no miserable-sounding voice played over them. A couple of filthy lightbulbs flickered to life when Val found the switch on the wall. Junk sat everywhere: an overturned fridge, a half-built generator, tools of all kinds that looked like they went into maintenance of the mansion’s attraction part below. The lights above faded in and out, giving them little in the way of illumination until one popped. The second followed right behind it, fizzling out with a crackle of electricity.

The only light in the attic came from below, until Val flicked on her Pip-boy’s screen and cranked up the brightness.

“There!” she whispered, pointing ahead.

Across from the stairwell, a little girl stood behind a trunk, watching them. Her green dress looked dull in the Pip-boy’s light, and she smiled at the pair. To her right was a door, which she escaped behind with a giggle. The door slammed shut.

Valkyrie took a deep breath and approached slowly. Putting on her sweetest tone, she approached what Gage assumed to be a closet. The only way out was behind them.

“Sweetie, it’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you. We just came because we saw you from outside. That was you in the window, right? We’re just gonna take you back to Nuka Town, then I’ll get you to the Commonwealth, or anywhere else you wanna go okay?”

No response. Gage wasn’t surprised. If the kid had been living there, he guessed she might be the daughter of the guy they had just murdered downstairs. “Val, maybe I should-“

“Don’t worry, Gage, I got this,” she whispered. She set her hand on the doorknob. Gage stood right beside her, ready to catch the kid in case she tried to bolt.

Val opened the door with ease, then jumped back. Behind the door was a blank wall. No closet, passageway or hole to a ladder. Nothing.

Gage couldn’t remember holding his own mother’s hand, but he was sure he’d locked fingers with Val, who squeezed his hand tight.

“Gage.”

“Yeah, Boss?” Gage swallowed, staring at the blank wall.

“You saw her, right?”

“Yep.”

“Downstairs.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And in the window, too?”

“Yes, yes I did,” he replied.

“And you saw her go through this door, right?”

“Yeah.”

“This door with a wall behind it.”

“Yes.”

They paused. Val’s hand was still tight in his and he squeezed back. Clearing her throat, Valkyrie started talking again, though much quieter.

“You know, there’s a _lot_ of stuff up here.”

“There is,” Gage said, nodding once.

“Probably all hers…”

“Well… it is now.”

“Right, right. We… we don’t need all this stuff.”

“It’s a lot to carry.”

Val paused again. She started to back away and he went with her.

“There was a lot of gas being pumped into that room.”

“That there was. Very flammable,” Gage agreed.

“Not a lot of oxygen…”

“Nope.”

Another pause.

“I mean, we are, _technically_ , raiding this place but… we can leave some stuff behind.”

“Right again,” Gage said. He went for a chuckle, but it sounded more like a cough.

“So. Let’s leave here, like calm, rational adults.”

A child-like giggle echoed through the attic.

“Like hell!” Gage barked, turning to run.

“With ya!” Val shouted, as they crushed themselves barreling down the stairs and out through the attic door. Gage could have sworn he heard a childish voice calling “Come back and play!” in his ear, but he had no mind to stay in that hell space.

Down in the bedroom, Val scrambled over to the dead Gunner. She stuffed her hand in each of his pockets, searching frantically.

“The hell are you doing?!” Gage shouted.

“Looking for a key to get out of here!” Val yelled back.

Gage cocked his rifle and pointed it at the last door. “I gotta key!” he said, blasting the lock. As soon as Val was to her feet, he pulled her out with him, into the afternoon sunlight. The door slammed shut behind them, even without the locking mechanism, leaving Gage panting beside Val on top of a set of scaffolding stairs at the backside of the mansion.

Leaning over the railing, Val gasped for breath. “Oh, oh my god…”

Gage took a deep breath of fresh air and started to laugh. “You should’ve seen your face, boss.”

Valkyrie started to laugh too, leaning against him enough to make him lose balance. “Me? What about you? You fucking ran!”

“You held my hand!” Gage said, pulling away to head down the stairs. “Awfully clingy, ain’tcha, Val?”

“Me? What about when you were hugging me earlier, Mr. I Ain’t A Hugger?”

“ _When_?” Gage laughed, knowing exactly what she meant and playing dumb. “I remember getting you in a headlock!”

Val snorted and shoved at his back. “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that, Porter?”

“Knew that long before you came around, Boss.”

As soon as they hit terra firma again, clouds started to roll in from the south, bringing with them the promise of rain. Valkyrie swore up a string of curses at the change in weather, as they headed back toward Nuka Town again, rain or no.

*****

Gage paced in his cell, rubbing his hand over his face. The cut on his jaw had scabbed over, and night had descended over the Castle. When the Minuteman in charge of his upkeep had brought him his dinner, they had removed his cuffs, leaving him to his own devices after he had eaten.

What had him riled up, though, was another matter.

After Valkyrie had left, he had been totally alone for hours. Not so unusual, until he discovered the small silver bottle she had brought in on the tray before his shave. He found it under his pillow, tucked away when he hadn’t been looking. At first, he thought she had just left it behind by mistake, as if it had simply fallen off and she failed to notice. He had picked it up to chuck it in a fit of rage, when he heard it rattle.

Shaking it again, he learned that it had a thin seam around it; rather than being some leftover bottle of aftershave, Gage realized it was a miniature storage container: The type that hid valuables from would-be thieves.

Inside, he found a glass eye made to look like his remaining one, a folded up letter, and the chain Valkyrie wore, bearing both her and her late husband’s wedding rings. The letter had been wrapped around an iron key – the key to his cell.

By the moonlight from his small window, he read Val’s letter again.

_Porter,_

_I hope this letter finds you before the Minutemen discover it. Preston would understand why I’m letting you go; I don’t think Ronnie or anyone else would._

_I had hoped that, once you cooled down, you might want to join us. I know it’s not Nuka World, but the Commonwealth is a lot better than you last knew it. After talking with Piper, she told me that you want me defamed, want everyone to know what kind of person I really am._

_I don’t blame you. I’m not the hero they want me to be. That’s why I fell for you. You never asked me to be more than I was, and you were right to call me on my shit. But, I can’t be an Overboss or Raider Queen or whatever anyone else at Nuka World might have thought me, either._

_I’m just tired._

_When you get this letter, wait until midnight. You should be able to hear the Radio Freedom host announce it where you are. That’s when the guards will be at a minimum; don’t try to kill anyone. You’ll just be outnumbered when they sound the alarm._

_I put some clothes in the armory for you, something sturdier than the scrubs they gave you. And a weapon. Take the gun and get the hell out of Dodge. I know you have no reason to trust me anymore, but I do want you to be safe._

_The rings should be worth about 500 caps total. Sell the bottle, too. Start over, Porter. Use it to get out of the Commonwealth or whatever. It doesn’t matter. Just run._

_The glass eye I had made for you by Curie, a Synth I know with extensive medical knowledge. I was going to give it to you sooner, but if you don’t want it, there’s a soft patch folded up with the clothes, too. Sorry that I couldn’t keep your old kit, but you’d be recognized immediately. It’s just safer for you this way._

_Good luck out there, Porter. I know it’s not much to say it now, but I still love you. You’re a survivor, you’ll be okay._

_Yours,_

_Valkyrie_

Just past midnight, Porter Gage broke out of the Castle and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started the chapter kinda light, ended it in a Sad. :( Thanks for all your kudos and reading!
> 
> EDIT: credit to wildwasteland on Tumblr for a screen shot of the girl in the Grandchester window!


	6. Gimme Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gage escapes to Goodneighbor and recalls his last days at Nuka World.

“Well, Boss, you finally done it. You talked me into one of these goddamned outfits.” Gage held out his arms at his sides, shaking his head. Mind, it wasn’t one of the dumbass costumes off the mannequins scattered at Dry Rock Gulch, but a genuine duster and jeans. The black cowboy hat was the only part taken from the park, and Val had managed to pluck it off one of the Protectron sheriffs without the robot noticing.

“Yeah, and I told you that I’d dress up to match,” Valkyrie responded, behind a closed door. Why she insisted on privacy _now_ when he’d already caught her naked (more than once) in Fizztop was beyond him. Something about “keeping him in suspense.”

Either way, Gage looked himself over in a nearby window. It was dark enough to function as a mirror, and he had to admit, he didn’t look half bad. He hooked his thumb into his belt and tipped his hat with his free hand.

“Howdy,” he said to himself, chuckling at the idea of playing cowboy. “C’mon, Boss, daylight’s fadin’ here.”

“Okay, okay!” Val shouted, followed up with a grunt. “I think I’m a little…” she trailed. Opening the door, Valkyrie stepped out of the Cast Only changing room, wearing a saloon gal’s dress. It was dark red, fitted with a corset under her bust, and the tattered lace skirt opened just over her right leg.

Gage let out a low whistle and tipped his hat back. “Damn, Val…” He looked her over; Val looked to be blushing from the attention and even twirled for him. “I mean, you look pretty good armed to the teeth, but that, that suits you.”

Val smiled and grabbed him by the bandana around his neck, pulling him closer. “And you look like a proper outlaw, handsome.”

Just as he was about to take a chance and finally steal a kiss from the boss, a throat cleared, making the both of them jump apart like teenagers caught in the act. One of the Disciples stood in the doorway, arms folded over her chest. Even though they all wore those heavy masks, Gage could feel the judgement oozing off her like rads on a ghoul.

“So, _boss_. Glad to know you’ve got your priorities straight, playing dress up and wasting our time,” the nameless Disciple snapped, storming off to meet her other comrades.

Val had awarded them Dry Rock Gulch since the carcasses of dead Brahmin generated a smell like death she thought they would appreciate. Apparently, they had been all too eager to head out to their new territory after Val had favored the Operators and Pack for the other areas. They had shown up a lot faster than expected. Even after promising they’d have first crack at the Commonwealth, it seemed Nisha and the rest of her Disciples were just too damn demanding.

“What’s her problem?” Val snorted, stooping to pick up her gear. “Not like I didn’t _try_.”

“Probably ‘cause they still hate my guts,” Gage ventured, feeling that had a lot to do with it. Nisha left no mystery to his standing with her – she hated him, and it was only because of his proximity to both Colter and now Val that he hadn’t been snatched up and skinned alive.

“Oh, no, I think they love your guts,” said Val, stepping away from him and away from whatever moment they had just missed out on. “They love’em so much, they want your guts on the outside.”

Gage huffed and followed behind Val. “Wish they’d love’em a little less, then. I like my guts right where they belong,” he said, patting his stomach. “Y’know-“

Val froze and turned around, pointing at him. “DON’T.”

“Organ-ized.”

Valkyrie let out a long-suffering groan and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“You absolutely _knew_ it was coming,” Gage chuckled, walking on ahead of her. “I had to endure plenty of bee puns. You can take a few of my jokes to _heart._ ”

“AUGH.” Val shoved at his back, even though she was laughing right along with him. “You’re so terrible. I can’t stand this bee-hive-yer from you.”

“Oh, we’re back to this again, huh?” Gage turned and started walking backwards. “What if I told you, you’re the Overboss of my hear—ah, shit I can’t say that with a straight face,” he said, breaking down and laughing.

Valkyrie came up beside him and looped her arm with his. Gage’s smile softened, having her close to him like that. If the Disciples – or anyone else – tried to end him, he felt confident Val wouldn’t let that happen. She had his back, and for better or worse, he had hers.

Never in his life had Gage felt more terrified and excited over another person’s presence.

Shrugging his arm free, Gage cleared his throat and took point ahead of them. “C’mon, we should leave the Disciples to get settled. Night’s comin’, and I’m sure you wanna, you know… rest up.” He felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

“Did I say something?” Val asked, seeing right through him, as usual. “You got awful quiet.” She picked up the pace to walk alongside him, but didn’t touch his arm again.

“Nah, Boss, just… too much in my own head.” Gage scratched under his hat, suddenly feeling like the coat and all that weighed a hundred pounds each. “I’ll let you know if I need you.”

Valkyrie hummed and nodded. “You know you can talk to me, Gage. I’ll listen.”

“Once I get it sorted out, I’ll let you know.”

 

On their way back from Dry Rock Gulch, night descended, quiet and calm, for once. Cave crickets chirped in the distance. A warm wind blew over them, and even though they had stopped talking since leaving the Gulch, it didn’t feel awkward. It was a comfortable silence.

Until they ran into Cleansed.

“Hello, friends. Are you haunted by your troubles? Seeking greater insight to the universe?” he asked, approaching Val directly.

Gage groaned and shook his head. “We told you folks before. We don’t want no part of yer cult.”

Cleansed was unaffected. “We’re not a cult, my friend, we’re a _movement_.”

“Like taking a shit,” Val joked. Gage snorted; Cleansed frowned briefly.

“I see you have your doubts,” Cleansed pressed on, even with Val starting to back away. “Would you just hear us out? If anything, our leader may have work for you.”

Valkyrie sighed. “Maybe I should speak with them,” she suggested. She pulled Gage to one side. “I’m gonna go with him, at least see what he’s selling. If they’re gonna camp out there anyway, may as well either make peace. Or… you know.” She made a little gun-cocking motion with her hand and whispered “bang.” She glanced at Cleansed, waiting to see if he noticed her making plans.

Gage drew in a long breath and nodded. “Alright, fine. But no sayin’ it’ll be fun. Last times you said that, we ended up running from the Grandchester. And up a tree. And stuck in that stupid funhouse.”

Val poked him in the chest. “You were the one who said I’d have fun out here. And I have been. Even with the ghosts.”

“Ghosts?” Cleansed interrupted. “You have encountered real ghosts? We at the Hub-“

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You ain’t afraid a no ghosts, right?” Val said, turning back to the Hubologist.

“Of course not. We have been cleansed of our Neurodynes, which have freed us from the guilt and hauntings of our pasts,” Cleansed began again, really getting into the spiel.

Gage stepped in between them and held his hands out. “Okay, okay, we get it. _Enlightenment_ and all that shit. Just take us to your leader, space man.”

 

Gage sat on the top of a junk heap, having a smoke. Val had been talked into getting the Hubologists a handful of space suits, and while she had netted a small profit from doing so, now they wanted her to be their Chosen One to send them off into space.

Running back to the Vault-tec exhibit and working the suits off the dummies had taken the night; returning to the Fizztop, just so Val could change into her Nuka Girl costume, had taken a few hours more. Gage had chosen to stay outside, mostly because he knew the trip the Hubologists wanted to take was bullshit.

“The little green men can have the moon,” he had said, just before claiming a small pile of junk to take a nap on. He had kept his long coat and hat; the old Stetson granted him shade to sleep under.

“Well, if I’m not back from the stars by dinnertime, just eat without me,” Val had joked. She had loaded up “the vessel” with four of those Fusion Cores taken from around the junkyard, and then hopped into the old ride with the rest of the Hub.

Gage rested on his nap pile outside, listening to pre-war carnival music play at earsplitting levels for a minute or two, just before he heard terrified screaming from inside. Jumping to his feet, Gage bolted over to the sliding doors, putting all his strength into prying them open with no luck.

In the ride, he swore he could hear Val calling for him, but her voice drowned under the cacophony of music and shrieking Hubologists.

Turning to the power box, Gage pulled out his knife, intending to wedge the cover off when it began to shoot sparks. The ride beside him rattled ominously, and for a half-second, Gage thought it might actually take off. The thought passed when the ride came to a stop, shutting down and going completely dark.

The silence was deafening.

As the doors slid partway open, Gage could just barely see inside with the sliver of sunlight that fell through the door. He couldn’t see any movement, and he still couldn’t hear anything. Working his shoulder into the door, Gage managed to push the halves far enough apart to get in.

Around him were bodies. All of the Hubologists were dead; a couple of them with their heads shorn off like someone had been swinging an axe in there. In the center was Valkyrie, lying very still.

In that moment, Gage felt the world drop from under his feet as he fell to his knees beside her. He pried the plastic dome off her costume and ripped off his gloves, feeling around her throat for a pulse. When he found it, weak and thready, he nearly sobbed with relief.

“Val, I’m gonna get you outta here,” he promised. Fishing in her pack, he found a Stim and jammed it in her leg.

Coughing, Val groaned miserably and rolled to her side. She was not totally awake, but at least Death wasn’t at her door. At least, Gage hoped so.

Scooping Valkyrie into his arms, Gage carried her from the ride, all the way back to the Hubologist camp. Once they were inside, Gage laid Val out on one of the sleeping bags, where he got her out of the rest of the Nuka Girl costume and under his coat.

Leaving Val to rest, Gage went outside to the restrooms. There, he took his patch off and splashed himself with water, trying to calm his nerves. Instead, he trashed the place, smashing cracked mirrors and kicking over a garbage can. Stumbling outside, he pulled down all the stupid hubcaps hanging on the walls and threw them, making a mess until he dropped onto his ass in the dirt.

Panting heavily, Gage pulled out his cigarettes and a lighter, bringing them to his lips with trembling, bloodied hands.

He’d almost lost Val. He almost lost _Valkyrie_. His Boss. His… friend.

_Christ, you fuckin’ idiot. You know she’s more than that,_ he thought, putting his forehead against the heel of his hand. _She actually gives a shit about you. Wants you at her side._

Gage decided to argue with himself. “No, no… she ain’t like that… she’s still the General. Still…”

_The best person for you_.

“I can’t do this,” he said to no one.

_She’ll understand. She knows you._

“I’m the worst for her.”

_You know she doesn’t see you like that. She laughs at your shitty jokes, for one thing. Colter didn’t even do that._

“That ain’t important…” he trailed, wiping at his eyes. His patch was somewhere in the mess behind him, but Gage had no mind to even stand up. “She’s a good woman.”

_So?_

Gage frowned, catching himself in a quandary. He untied the bandana from his neck and wiped at his face, erasing sweat and tears that had formed in the heat of his freak out. Standing up again, Gage paced in a tight circle, still trying to argue with himself over his feelings and hating the fact that they were winning. Moreover, the evidence was clear: When he thought Val was dead, time stopped. The world might as well have ended again.

Since when did he lose focus? He wondered. He was just supposed to work the Boss, get her to see things The Raider Way. Somewhere, between Kiddie Kingdom and where they were now, they had gotten closer. Late night talks in the Galactic Zone. Her comfort with touching him, with sleeping by his side and not feeling threatened by his presence. She opened up to him, and he poured himself out, too. Never once did she judge him. Teased, played, and laughed with him and he gave it all back. Valkyrie’s hands weren’t any cleaner than his, and she never pretended they were, either. They just _were_ , as Val and Gage. A couple of fucked up people who had each other’s backs.

Stamping out his cigarette, Gage went to the bathroom and retrieved his patch. He knew what he had to say, when Val woke up. For once in his life, Gage prayed she _would_.

 

Nighttime brought out crickets and rats. Gage made sure they were warded off before going to turn in. A fire crackled in the pit outside, and Gage watched the flames with a bottle of Nuka Wild in his hand. A movement by the door had him reaching for his gun; when he realized Val was up and walking, he was on his feet and by her side in an instant.

“Porter… the fuck are we?” she mumbled, leaning into him for support. He just pulled his coat tighter around her shoulders and guided her toward the fire pit.

“Back at the Hubologist’s camp. They’re all dead,” Gage replied, making sure she was seated. “That ride spun’em to death.”

“Shit… what about those cores?”

“The power box was fried shut. I think you overloaded it.”

Val groaned and took a seat, pushing hair out of her face. “Would’ve been cheaper to shoot’em.”

Gage cleared his throat and nodded. “Well, what’s done is done.” He shuffled on his feet, watching Val to make sure she didn’t keel over into the fire.

“Mm… water?” she asked, and Gage had the canister in both her hands before she could blink. “Heh, you’re on the ball tonight, Porter. What’s the occasion?” she teased, pulling the tab off her can. How she didn’t see the terror in his eye – or maybe she _did,_ and was trying to lighten the mood.

Gage sat back in his own chair, mulling over how to respond. When he took too long, Val reached out and touched his knee. He leaned forward and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips. _Now or never_ , he thought, shaking so bad he was sure she could feel it.

“Yanno, there’s still a lot we ain’t… discussed, Val.”

Val looked up from where he held her hand and watched him for a moment before responding. “Some kind of problem, Gage?” She tensed up, braced for bad news, likely. Not that he could blame her. He just thought back to seeing her passed out on that ride floor and sacked up before he chickened out.

“No, Boss. Not at all.” He smirked a little when she sighed, relaxing. “I, uh… just wanted to say that, well, it’s been fun.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but,’” she said, taking a sip of her water.

“There’s no ‘but’ in there. I mean, us working together, it’s been a damn good time, even if we look like shit at the end of the day.”

Valkyrie snorted and smiled, exhausted but... _Beautiful,_ he thought. “Speak for yourself.”

Gage chuckled with her, shaking his head. “Fine, you look like a sparklin’ pretty princess I should’ve left back in Kiddie Kingdom, and _I_ look like shit.”

Val laughed hard enough to startle away a rat that had been creeping up on them. She laughed into her shoulder and composed herself, still smiling. “Dammit, Gage… that was awful. Oh my god…”

Soldiering on, Gage figured if he waited for her to stop laughing, he’d never get the words out. If only because he rather enjoyed making her laugh. “When I left Nuka World with you, I was hoping that you’d be the Overboss the gangs needed. Seems like I didn’t need to worry in the least… and I know you can take care of yourself…”

Gage took a deep breath – Val had the opportunity to stop him, even derail the subject, but she just listened. Like she always did, not like Colter, or Connor, who he added to the story, letting her know how he’d been screwed over more times than he could count. About losing his eye that day and realizing just how dumb he’d been. How he stopped relying on others to be more than disposable chattel to his plans, and how he had moved on when shit went south. Moreover, she listened to every word, only stopping him long enough to pull her seat forward so they were knee-to-knee while Gage poured his heart out to her.

“But you, Val…I trust you. You’re the real deal,” he said, quieter than he needed to be. “Can’t say that about anybody else.” Gage swallowed the lump in his throat, coming to the crescendo of his little speech. Val being so quiet, he wondered if she already had an idea of what was coming – and worried that she was going to reject him.

“When I opened up that ride this afternoon, I saw you lyin’ there on the floor with those corpses…” he paused and shook his head before he got all upset again. “I ain’t good with feelin’s and all that shit, but… Living out here, you come to expect death. I wake up some mornings and wonder if it’ll be my last. I just never worried about it happening to **you**. You always seemed unstoppable. You killed the Merc who got your family, took on the Institute, and then some fuckin’ park ride takes ya from me?” Gage pulled his hands away from her and looked at the fire, ashamed of himself for being so scared.

“Gage.” Valkyrie touched his shoulder and he looked to her. “You were worried about me?”

A hollow laugh shook him and he nodded. “Yeah, boss, I was. Worried I lost the one thing I thought was worth fightin’ for. A piece of me that’s been missing this whole time.” He coughed and dropped his gaze again. “I know I ain’t a good man, maybe not good enough for you…”

She touched his chin and tilted his head up. “Porter, look at me.”

Gage looked up and into her eyes. Val was smiling, and touched his face with both hands. He’d been lying to himself when he said he didn’t like to be touched. He just didn’t like it when _anyone else_ tried it.

“I’m not all that good, either,” she said. “I enjoy being with you. I know I’m not what you were hoping for in a _Boss_ …”

“Val, you’re somethin’ special,” he whispered. “To me. I don’t wanna lose that. What we got… am I… wrong, here?”

“Not at all,” she said, leaning in to kiss him.

Gage closed his eyes and lost himself in the sensation. He could have wept, if he hadn’t cried himself dry earlier that day, wracked with grief and confusion over his emotions. Now, everything made sense. He pulled her into his lap and felt the chair under him strain with the extra weight.

“Mm, Porter, maybe we should go inside,” Val purred, and Gage’s heartrate sharply increased with her tone. “You already got me half naked.” She kissed over his cheek and nipped at his earlobe, pulling on it with her teeth. “I’d like you to get me _all_ naked, cowboy.”

Gage snickered and got to his feet, scooping up Val once again. At least she was awake this time. Her little squeal of delight made him beam with pride. Valkyrie wasn’t just his boss, she was _his_ , and he was glad to make himself _hers._

*****

Days had passed since Valkyrie had released him from the Castle. Gage had headed west, wearing the clothes Val had left for him, Kellogg’s gun holstered on his thigh. Parting with her wedding rings was one thing, but Gage had never expected her to let go of the merc’s weapon. He had seen it in action – held it a couple of times – never thought he’d come to own it unless Val died before him.

All the more reason to put distance between himself and Valkyrie’s domain. He couldn’t ruminate too long on what her “gifts” meant, or he’d end up turning around.

That was entirely Gage’s problem. He was all turned around now, at least in his head. The longer he listened to that little voice at the back of his mind, the one that started to sound a little too rational at points, the more likely he was to fuck himself over.

Slipping through the gates of Goodneighbor, Gage put the thoughts behind him as he shut the door. Goodneighbor was quiet for a den of thieves and mercenaries. He tucked the rings Val left him under his tee shirt and pulled his jacket further up on his shoulders, heading to Daisy’s Discounts.

Trading the loungewear, the old iron key and the silver bottle for caps, Gage reloaded his supply of ammo for his gun with the Assaultron next door. While he was certain that KL-E-O wasn’t hitting on him, her tone did have him wondering if robots…

“You got a starin’ problem, bub?” asked one of the city’s Neighborhood Watch, snapping him out of his wandering thoughts. Gage backed away and put his hands up, giving the guard his space.

Trying to keep a low profile in Goodneighbor turned out to be surprisingly difficult. All the rogues thought of each other as kin, and everyone had something to say. From “Peace, brother,” to “Get the fuck outta my way,” Gage realized people just didn’t keep to themselves. Raiders clung to their gangs; in Goodneighbor, you were either trouble or family. And trouble _was_ family in Goodneighbor.

Still, the few times Kellogg’s gun flashed in the streetlights, most people stopped there, not wanting to meet the barrel end of it. It was enough threat to warrant him space at the far end of Charlie’s bar at the Third Rail, where Gage eventually found himself nursing a single bottle of beer. In truth, he wanted to get wasted, if only to shut up his self-doubt for a minute, but that was the quickest way to the end of his life. Or at least robbed blind.

Thankfully, the singer in the corner did her best in muting the noise in his head for a minute, right up until she stopped and decided to take a seat with him.

“Well, if I’ve never seen the face of heartbreak on a man before, I’ve seen it now,” she said, perching beside Gage at the counter. He glanced her way, his good eye to her while the glass one in his head barely moved with the gesture.

“Porter,” he said, keeping his voice down. He drummed his fingers on the counter top, waiting for her break to be over. “You’ve got a lovely voice, ma’am,” he continued, his tone as stiff as the rest of his posture.

“Magnolia. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Porter, and thank you kindly,” she said. Whitechapel Charlie placed a glass of water on the counter for Magnolia, hovering just within earshot. “What brings you to The Third Rail, darling?”

“Running,” Gage replied, taking a bigger swig of his drink. The beer tasted sour, and he flinched, remembering his personal bias against the shit. Not that it seemed to matter now.

“Everybody’s running, honey.” Magnolia turned in her seat to face him fully, leaning in his direction. “I’m usually pretty good at reading people. Let’s see if I can guess your situation. Haven’t been wrong yet.”

Gage gave a snort and turned to face Magnolia, intrigued if only for the distraction. She slipped off her stool entirely and stood closer, her arms folded over her chest. A few discerning hums and a long study of his scar later, Magnolia sat back down with a shake of her head.

“You’ve seen a lot of shit, honey. Not just the usual type other Wastelanders have. But none of it compares to that sweetie you’ve lost… just recently?” Magnolia stirred her water with a straw from the counter. “Whoever it is, they’re not dead, are they? That’s why you’re heartbroken, not in mourning. I’ve seen mourning. You’d be shitfaced about now.”

Gage scoffed and shook his head. “You’re about part right. I’m not heartbroken.”

“Those gold rings you’re hangin’ onto tell me different, sugar. If you were over them, you’d have pawned those rings to Daisy as soon as you passed through the gates. They mean something to you, even if you don’t want to admit it.” Magnolia smiled and looked Gage right in his good eye. She didn’t even bother looking to his right one, as if she could tell that one was a phony. “Especially if they gave you that piece on your thigh, too.”

“I could’ve killed whoever they belonged to, taken’em for myself,” Gage protested, clenching his jaw. Was he really that easy to read? Did Val really wear down his walls so much he was an open book to anyone else? Aware that the rings were exposed again, he tucked them under his collar and smoothed down the material.

“So, they’re trophies, then? You take out someone for your sweetie and they’re ungrateful? Shame. Tough fellas like you shouldn’t have broken hearts,” Magnolia said, her tone light. She didn’t seem threatened by him at all.

Gage got up from his stool with enough force to knock it over. The loud bang caught everyone’s attention, and he could feel the eyes on him from every side of the room. He backed away from Magnolia and the counter, righting his seat to where it belonged.

“You don’t know shit, lady.”

The ghoul bouncer from the door appeared at the other side of the bar, glaring at Gage.

“Need me to take out the trash, Miss Magnolia?” he growled, not taking his eyes off the Raider.

Magnolia slipped off her seat again and put her hands up. “No need, honey. Some people just don’t like hearing the truth about themselves. You know me, Ham.”

The ghoul nodded, stiff and squared up, still ready for a fight. “That I do, Miss.”

Magnolia pushed on Gage’s chest, urging him to take a seat again. “Why don’t you calm down, sugar, finish your drink? Next round’s on me,” she said, nodding to Whitechapel Charlie. “The song, too, if you care to listen.”

Gage frowned and took his seat. “Don’t need charity,” he grumbled, fishing for some leftover caps.

Charlie made a noise like a grunt and swatted his hand. “When Magnolia says it’s on her, it’s _on her._ Don’t be a bloody wanker. Just sit your ass down and listen when the lady says so.”

Ham approached Gage and dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Or, I can toss you out right now,” he growled.

“I’m sittin’, I’m sittin’. Christ.” Gage finished his first beer with a grimace and slid the empty toward Charlie. Magnolia took the stage in the meantime, starting up with something slow and bluesy. He really wanted to leave now; from the corner of his good eye, he could see the other patrons looking at him, hear them whispering, but he couldn’t decipher their words over Magnolia’s singing.

_I see you lookin' 'round the corner_  
Come on inside and pull up a chair  
No need to feel like a stranger  
Cause we're all a little strange in here.  
  
Have you got a history that needs erasing?  
Did you come in just for the beer and cigarettes?  
A broken down dream you're tired of chasing  
Oh, well I'm just the girl to make you forget.  
  
So we're glad you dropped by  
Come in and loosen up your tie  
Have a drink or maybe just one more  
But if you're searchin' for something to bring you comfort  
Oh well, I'm the one you're lookin' for.  
  
Now is your motor running close to empty?  
Or are you runnin' from yourself?  
You're thirsty for a brand new kind of pleasure?  
Or are you hungry to be somebody else?  
  
So sit down your pretty face  
You came to the right place  
Oh, where every night it starts once more  
I'm telling you friend, your search is at an end  
Cause I'm the one you're lookin' for.

Once Magnolia finished her song, Gage got to his feet. His second beer was down and he felt fuzzy – not a good sign if he wanted to leave Goodneighbor in one piece. He nodded to Magnolia as he left, deciding it was better to get out than have her examine him again. Ham gave him a parting snarl as he passed.

Outside, the fresher air hitting his senses woke him up again. Still a little slowed by the alcohol, Gage made his way to the Hotel Rexford. Sleeping off the booze seemed like a wise choice. He ponied up the caps for a room and once he got in, he blocked the door with the nightstand, just in case.

*****

Gage woke to the sounds of gunfire and yelling. He threw his gear on and got to the lift, heading down to the base of Fizztop Mountain to see Operators backing up to lines of Minutemen holding up their rifles. A young man with a long tan duster led them, ordering the Minutemen to hold their fire. The raiders were outnumbered three to one, and a few dropped their weapons and raised their arms in surrender. Those who tried to fight – went down in a few musket blasts. The Minuteman leader gestured to the remaining Operators, who were taken prisoner.

Doubling back around the pond, Gage circled around, sweeping the area for hostiles. He couldn’t take down that many on his own, so he went looking for Valkyrie.

_She_ brought this on them. He didn’t have to see her to know. Minutemen arriving in the park was no mere coincidence. He felt so fucking stupid. Val had won him over, and he’d let her in. He wanted to know how much of her bullshit had been real, or if she was just a fantastic liar. Then he wanted to know how quickly she’d bleed out.

In the center of the Marketplace, more Operators and Pack members were either dead or cowards taken prisoner. Injured folks were seen to by medics, regardless of whose colors they wore. Gage didn’t want to think about that, he still needed to find Valkyrie. With the Disciples gone or scattered, they were overwhelmed – Gage wondered how the information missed Shank, or if Shank was another head to blow off.

Too much to consider, too much he needed to take care of.

“Over there! In the yellow!” shouted someone. Gage turned to see the young man from before, leading a line of Minutemen in his direction.

Gage turned to circle the Marketplace, meaning to lose them on the other side, when a sharp pain hit him in the neck. A sharp sting, a burn of something injected into his system, and Gage felt his legs give out under him.

Collapsing to the ground, Gage felt every limb in his body start to tingle and weaken. His vision blurred, and he struggled to keep his eye open. A hand tilted his head back, and in a moment of clarity, he saw stone-blue eyes, ringed with old scars. Ones he’d looked into a month ago, when they had gotten the park back online again. All the happiness of the moment, of having someone watching his back, felt like a rock in his stomach, as he looked Valkyrie in the eye with waning consciousness.

“I’m sorry, Porter,” she said, in a tone as stiff as the navy wool coat she wore. “You were right – it’s been fun.” Valkyrie ran a thumb over his bottom lip; he could smell the gunpowder on her gloves. “I warned you, that I do what I want,” she added, and for a moment, he thought he heard remorse in her voice. “And that I’m not a good woman.” He wanted to believe the regret on her face, but evidence was all around him that she wasn’t sorry. Not in the slightest.

“Fuck you,” Gage spat. He squeezed his eye shut when she kissed him, her grip on his jaw like iron and whatever she’d hit him with making him too weak to fight back. When he opened his eye again, for a moment, seeing her face so close to his, a flicker of hope that it had been a nightmare ran through him, until his focus came back for one last moment. Enough to see her General’s uniform. He still thought her beautiful, in a sickening way. The triumphant General standing in the ruins of a battlefield, instead of a bloodied Overboss staking her claim.

Gage felt exhaustion at fighting the drug in his system win out. He collapsed, and the world faded out. The last thing he heard was Val’s voice:

“Take him to the Castle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought "I'm The One You're Looking For" was an appropriate song. :D
> 
> Thank you all for reading! This isn't the end; I plan on having a second arc around Val and some bits filled in from her side in the works soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Val, for reference: http://68.media.tumblr.com/d8866073ccb904f64c125034e7e1d48d/tumblr_orrl9rfZsG1qgked9o2_1280.jpg


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